Transgenics doesn’t increase production
Petru P., a hard working Transylvanian farmer from the meadows of the river Mures, has dedicated his life to agriculture in the following two decades after the fall of the communist regime. After years of working in the metallurgical industry under Ceausescu, and after the economic bankruptcy of the ’90, Petru saw the fully-fledged events of an equally emaciated agriculture. Around the year 2000 he was hired to plant genetically spliced corn seeds. Can a story be drawn out of this episode? Transgenics proved to be an unsurprising fiasco, as every other similar agricultural attempt in Romania. “Green Report” has found out however, that transgenic corn can’t withstand scorching-heat temperatures, but is able to face a tiny insect.
The purchasing and repurchasing of planted seeds doesn’t seem to have been a very tragic event in Romania; maybe because the smaller landowners were never really interested. All in all the episode of transgenic corn is almost over. Now the average farmer barely grows any corn at all. Instead the new trend is rapeseed, a source for ethanol used to fuels the hybrid cars of eco-chic stars. Despite the alleged benefits of transgenics to protect plants from the “evils of nature”, Petru P. concludes that transgenics doesn’t really increase production.
Decimated by oversupply
“In the year 2009, compared to 2008, surfaces were reduced for MON 810 and conventional corn crops in Romania (…) Generally speaking, we consider that the reasons for area reduction in 2009 compared to 2008 were done on the basis of oversupply and commercial price falls for corn in the fall of 2008. Which in turn led to crop surface size reduction in 2009,” explains Aurel-Florentin Badiu, an official from the Quality, Research, and Development Centre of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Otherwise, nothing. “The problem isn’t genetically altered plants; the problem is that nothing is actually grown,” a farmer explains.
Quitting any prior advocacy, we can ask ourselves what benefits genetically modified organisms have. From early 2000 large advertising companies spreading across all mediums of communication have brought forth the false premises and hypothesis that transgenics would ensure food supply on a global scale and would fight hunger. In Romania, since the 1st of January 2007 when we adhered to the EU, only a few types of transgenic corn can be grown; the star being MON 810, produced by the American company Monsanto. Is MON 810 really better than other types of corn?
Specialists from the Ministry of Agriculture state that, “the genetically altered MON 810 ensures protection against corn borers (insects that deposits larvae which perforate the leaves, consume the pollen, chew galleries inside the corn cob, and even consume the seeds transmitting bacterial diseases). In areas susceptible to aggressive insect infestation MON 810 endures any attack for the entire period of gestation.” “Compared to regular corn production increases for MON 810 production are at 10%-15%; also costs are lowered due to less time, energy, and insecticides required for MON 810,” the Ministry of Agriculture’s response mentions.
Corn Borer, attack on MON 810
The problem, however, is infinitely more complex as the punctuated benefits mentioned above become insignificant. Around 1998 genetically modified organisms reach Europe, Romania welcoming them with open arms. “At that time the most wide spread stuff was genetically altered soybean and a species of potato called <<Superior new leaf>>, which protected the plant from the Colorado beetle.” Dan Craioveanu from the Transylvanian Ecologic Club explains. Ever since, new tests have been conducted on other plant species but none got registered in the seed catalogue. MON 810 corn was brought to Romania in 2007 because it was the only one admitted in the EU.
The corn borer isn’t that dangerous, there are numerous ways to fight it. Traditional Romanian corn species have a thick stem, Craioveanu states. Even if the corn borer breaches the stem the crop will not be affected. “For Romanians statistics regarding production per hectare is a good reminder of the communist days. Ironically Monsanto can’t brag about a greater production rate, only cheaper prices – and only in the short run,” Craioveanu explains. MON 810 has a thin stem so the corncob is vulnerable. The borer larvae especially target Monsanto corn.