Posted on: Monday, June 17, 2002

EDITORIAL
Biotech industry gets another positive boost

The ongoing debate over genetically modified food crops (so-called "Franken-foods") will not be ended with any one scientific report or study.

But while there are legitimate concerns about genetic modifications "escaping" from one crop into the wild or causing unintended consequences, the overall value of such crops is becoming more and more apparent.

And this is important to Hawai'i, where a well-established seed crop industry is poised to expand dramatically once genetically altered food plants become more widely accepted.

The latest evidence of the value of biotechnology comes in a report out of the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy, a non-profit research group.

The report found that eight varieties of genetically modified crops added some $2.5 billion in overall value to American agriculture through higher yields and lower costs of production.

Those lower costs of production are largely the result of less use of pesticides — another benefit to disease-and-pest resistant crops that goes beyond monetary gains.

The eight crops studied included several of particular interest in the Islands, such as insect-resistant corn and virus-resistant papaya.

It is reasonable to debate and study the possible unintended environmental or food safety side effects of genetically altered crops.

But sound scientific evidence of their value, such as this report, should not and must not be ignored.