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Jakarta Post

Genetically modified food and food security

For more than 65 years after independence, Indonesia’s food problems remain unsolved

Geradi Yudhistira (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Mon, May 16, 2011

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Genetically  modified food  and food security

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or more than 65 years after independence, Indonesia’s food problems remain unsolved. The country is still trapped in the same situation as other underdeveloped nations, where hunger, poverty and malnutrition make headlines almost every day.

Six decades of the fight against food problems has not caused Indonesia to learn from history. The life of farmers is worsening day by day, as indicated by the farmers’ exchange value (NTP), which in January 2011 stood at only 97.99 per month. This figure shows that high staple food prices are not accompanied by improvements in the welfare of farmers and fishermen.

Amid the threat of a world food crisis and food insecurity, the government is opening its arms to Genetically Modified (GM) foods. The deputy agriculture minister has said clearly that Indonesia needs GM foods to eradicate undernourishment and hunger. Types of food that will come to Indonesia in 2013 include golden rice, which it is claimed contains high levels of beta-carotene and is suitable for developing countries like Indonesia.

The deputy minister deemed GM food “help from God” for Indonesia. GM food products are promoted by supporters as the answer to two basic problems plaguing Indonesia: high productivity and complex nutrient levels. While the debate over GM food continues, the government instead adopted a policy that ignores the public’s worries that almost all GM food products have no safety standards for humans.

A report from the Institute of Science in Society (ISIS) in 2009 revealed that more than 30 senior scientists condemned the clinical trials conducted by golden rice producers because they violated the Nuremberg Code of Ethics. Golden rice trials were conducted on adults and children (6-9 years) without going through prior animal tests or other security tests.

In addition to health, the socioeconomic aspects of GM food must be taken seriously, especially concerning seed trap patents. Currently, patents of GM seeds are held by giant companies like Sygenta and Monsanto Corp. People worry that it will lead to farmers’ dependence on the supply of seeds from those companies. It means that GM seeds will put off the creativity of farmers in developing local seeds.

Bulukumba cotton farmers should serve as a lesson. Cotton farmers in the South Sulawesi regency were forced to plant transgenic cotton seeds from Monsanto when the local government promised 40 percent greater yields. But, that promise went awry. Conflicts erupted as the farmers suffered losses due to low yields coupled by monopolistic practices under Monsanto’s contract, which required farmers to buy seeds from the company.

The government seems to simplify the solution to the national food problem through the production approach. In other words, the production of abundant food will be able to address lingering food problems. Because of this paradigm, the government wants GM food to be an instant solution and is turning a blind eye to the fundamental development of food itself.

The government is ignoring that the chain of food production and distribution is very detrimental to farmers. Nowadays, almost all farmers hardly have a say in determining the selling price of their products, which is controlled by middlemen or tengkulak. Brokers take full control of the market because they provide easy loans to farmers. In contrast, farmers are having difficulties accessing bank loans.

The government also forgets about the unfair distribution of subsidized fertilizers and pesticides. Farmers near urban areas have greater access to fertilizers and pesticides than those in remote areas. The price of fish feed is very expensive and causes local fishery products to be unable to compete with imported ones.

The government’s ignorance is exacerbated by extreme climatic conditions. Global climate change makes the planting and harvest seasons increasingly uncertain. The impact was seen in millions of hectares of crop failure in 2010 across Indonesia.

The implication of those problems is the changing of national agricultural land use. In 2008, food production areas reached 30,670,286 hectare, with nearly 8,217 million hectares for paddy fields (Agriculture Ministry, research and development). Every year, according to the statistics bureau, 27,000 hectares of agricultural land is reduced and converted for other purposes.

In some areas, farmers consider farming no longer profitable and have shifted agricultural land to rented houses. Other farmers even sold their land to entrepreneurs to buy a motorcycle to start a motorbike taxi (ojek) business.

If such a condition persists, food security will continuously come under threat. Instead of a comprehensive solution, a shortcut with GM food will only bring people to food dependency and eliminate food self-sufficiency. To overcome this problem is a matter of partisanship and a vision for independence. Start food self-sufficiency now!

The writer is a researcher at the Alliances of Prosperous Villages and a member of the Indonesian Political Economy Association.

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