Asian Peasants and Scientists hits IRRIs Hybrid Rice

In a joint statement today by the Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) and RESIST Network (Resistance and Solidarity against Agrochemical TNCs), they slam the 49th anniversary of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) on April 4, 2009.

IRRI was originally established as the international agricultural research institute in Asia, with the aim to reduce poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers, and ensure that rice production is environmentally sustainable. However, following the introduction of high yielding varieties (HYVs) during the Green Revolution with a combined package of using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides in 1970s, the Asia's traditional rice varieties were almost wiped out and have transformed the landscape of most rice farms in Asia.

Danilo Ramos, APC Secretary-General and concurrent Secretary-General of the militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) said in a press statement today that, "IRRI programs and projects have always been anti-farmer and pro-agrochemical TNCs. IRRI has failed miserably to achieve its aims. In fact, from the beginning of its establishment, IRRI has displaced farmers from their land."

"In the pursuit of the Green Revolution technology, IRRI exposed its workers and the environment to extremely hazardous pesticides resulting in pesticide poisoning, health impacts and the contamination of the environment. Its continued promotion of hybrid rice and genetically engineered (GE) rice is destroying the country's traditional rice varieties and perpetuated the indebtedness of small farmers due to the high cost of inputs and susceptibility to diseases.Worse still, IRRI and agrochemical TNCs create corporate monopoly and control of rice seeds across Asia." added Ramos.

In the Philippines, a fact-finding mission (FFM) on the failure of Hybrid Rice was organized by RESIST Network on March 19. The FFM aimed to investigate the abnormal growth of SL8H hybrid rice in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija. Farmers reported the premature flowering of rice grains. Panic among them ensued, which prompted the farmers to add bags of fertilizers in order to stabilize the growth of the rice grains.

The FFM was participated by Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luzon (AMGL), Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura (MASIPAG), Genetic Resource Action International (GRAIN) and EED Philippine Partners' Task Force for Indigenous Peoples' Rights.

According to Finesa Cosico, member of AGHAM (Advocates of Science and Technology for the People) and part of the FFM team, "Our initial findings showed that despite the Department of Agriculture's (DA) backing on the use of hybrid rice, it fails to give support to the farmers when a calamity such as the one in San Jose strikes. First of all, they did not inform the farmers as to the original source of the seeds and only mentioned that it came from China. Second, the DA did not explain the peculiar red color of the grains. And most of all, their technicians were unable to provide a concrete explanation for the abnormal growth of the seeds, citing the cold weather and insufficient irrigation as the probable causes."

In 1970s, China successfully developed the hybrid rice technology and with subsequent massive promotion of the technology subsidized by its government, hybrid rice was attributed as the reason why the country became rice self-sufficient and able to feed population of more than a billion. Outside China, there is massive cultivation of hybrid rice in Vietnam, Bangladesh and the Philippines.

Finesa adds that, "It is unfortunate that the DA is collaborating with agrochem TNCs to fool farmers about the hybrid rice. Over the past decade, hybrid rice promotion had been beset with problems that hamper its continuous adoption by rice farmers such as inconsistent yield advantage over inbred, vulnerable to seed-borne diseases, inferior grain quality, costly seeds and technology and lower income for farmers."

Ramos further adds that, "The case of hybrid rice failure in San Jose City in Nueva Ecija clearly illustrates the incompetence of the DA and blatant disregard of IRRI of farmers' welfare. The hybrid rice curtails farmers' rights to save, re-use and exchange seeds. It further opens the floodgates to corporate control of the rice sector across Asia. National governments should focus their meager resources on sustainable initiatives that ensure farmers' participation in technology development and support peasants call for genuine agrarian reform."

Recently, DuPont announced its partnership with IRRI and now has an agreement with the Indonesian Center for Rice Research (ICRR), giving the former the latter access to test and commercialize ICRR inbreds and hybrids.

In a protest action infront of the DA national office in the Philippines, the KMP and RESIST Network show discontent with the use of hybrid rice. The activity is a Philippines' soft launch of the Year of Rice Action (YORA) from April 2009 to April 2010. On April 4, a press conference about the result of the FFM in Nueva Ecija will be held at Tree House in Quezon City. On April 17, during the "International Peasants Day", the YORA will be simultaneously launched in 14 countries in Asia. The YORA is led by the Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific (PAN AP) and its network. The APC and its members across Asia will be holding various activities throughout the year to stop corporate control in agriculture and to call for the abolition of IRRI.