Mapa says Brazil needs to stimulate GM for pest control

"We have to further stimulate the production of transgenic crops to help to control plagues". The statement came from the general coordinator of the Department of Agricultural Inputs Enforcement of Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa), Júlio Sérgio de Britto.

According to the expert, the planting of genetically-modified seeds reduces the demand for agrochemicals and eases the crop management. "Most of the transgenic products were approved initially to attend this consumption [on soybeans, corn, rice and cotton], and it became easier and simpler to plant these crops," said him at the Natural Environment Commission of the Brazilian House of Representatives.

Britto was invited to represent Mapa at this meeting that discussed the development of sustainable agriculture indicators in Brazil. According to him, the production would drop in 50% without the use of agrochemicals to control plagues. He yet observed that there is a greater search for efficacy of agrochemical products and new technologies to control plagues with biological and natural options.

"Only in this year we had 20 new biologicals used on agriculture, but there is a necessity of having more registrations. We need to guarantee that the new production system would continue to be viable,” explained. The expert guarantees that Mapa and other agencies involved at the release and enforcement of agrochemicals need to do a strict control of the use, auditing 16,000 to 17,000 properties annually.

"The Ministry is concerned about this (risk evaluation for producers and applicators). The agricultural system, today, is grounded on the research of recent years of genetic improvement, which adds high production conditions and requires soil correction levels, fertilization, mechanization and defense from plagues and diseases of these crops,” concludes.