Venezuela amends law banning use of GMOs for ideological reasons

The Association of Rural Producers of Portuguesa State (Aso Portuguesa) issued a statement on the claims that the Seeds Law of the current Venezuelan government goes back the agro sector to years ago.
 

The Venezuelan government prohibits the use of transgenic seeds, which are consumed in some countries like Brazil, Argentina and the United States," Aso Portuguesa authorities explained.

 

According to the National Statistics Institute (INE), the country has 31 million people and by 2050, it will reach 40 million. Currently, Venezuela does not produce food for 31 million people and this will lower to 40 "if conditions do not improve in the agri-food sector," Aso portuguesa said.
 

According to Professor D'Alvano "We need to increase the supply and local production. Today, the producers appreciate technology and understand that not everything will be solved with prices; it would be a combination of tools and the best technology.

We need to sensitize the authorities that every time we invest a dollar on something associated with technology, the country has a foreign exchange savings that can be increased 4 to 5 times for import of raw materials or finished products." They believe transgenic or genetically modified seeds is a key issue, because it makes helps Venezuelans produce food by themselves, something that is increasingly scarce.

 

Agricultural producers criticized the law because it has ideological support over the scientist.
 

The opposition deputy Alexis Paparoni agrees with producers and argues that the Seed Law "prohibits the use of transgenic seeds" and removes the "property rights of ostentores, which is a category of seeds created in Venezuela. The law is also restrictive and forces the exclusive use of seeds of African descent. Accordingly, it is a law that we will fall behind in 10 years in the agricultural sector, "he said.

 

The Seed Law was adopted on 23 December 2015 by the deputies and took effect on March 27, 2016. Currently, the Commission on Science and Technology of the National Assembly is working on a draft law. It promotes the idea that there is no reason for the prohibition of transgenic seeds, which would allow increased production and supply of food using the same land area, in Venezuela.
 

According to Aso Portuguesa, it was noted that producers do not advocate the use of transgenic seeds but call for "consultation specialists, researchers and academics to discuss and determine whether its use is harmful to humans and the environment and sustains the official sector.

 

Aso Portuguesa researchers believe that there is a lack of knowledge on this controversial topic among universities and research institutes that could shed enlightening contributions.