Clos This Window Close This Window

Send To Your Printer Send To Your Printer

Portugal


Portugal is one of eight EU countries in which farmers are planting modified or genetically engineered crops. Portuguese farmers first planted Bt maize in 1999; and after a five-year gap, they resumed planting in 2005. By 2007, approximately 4,300 hectares – nearly 30 percent of the 15,000 hectares infested by the European Corn Borer in Portugal – were planted with modified or genetically engineered Bt maize. Portuguese farmers growing Bt maize are benefiting from the technology -- recognizing yield increases of 8 to 17 percent, with an average increase of 12 percent of 1.2 metric tons per hectare.

Send Link to this Page
close X
Click on an individual's name to view his or her video conversation, transcript, biographical sketch and related article.

Grower Profiles


José María Falcão
Portuguese farmers planting modified or genetically engineered Bt maize are seeing average yield increases of 12 percent per hectare. José María Falcão explains how Bt maize has increased the productivity of his farm, enabling him to produce more food on less land in a more environmentally responsible way. He believes farmers in Portugal and Europe are not sustainable without increased access to modified or genetically engineered crops.
Length: 2:12

Video Transcripts



Maria Gabriela Cruz
In Europe, we depend on the common agricultural policy and the decisions made in Brussels and made by our government.  It is not always easy to make those working in offices, and far from the land, understand.  They are not moved by the difficult aspects of the business.  Thus, we are subject to many controls, and many times we cannot do all we would wish on our farms. …

In Portugal, varieties resistant to Roundup are not allowed yet, and therefore we are a bit limited. …

The farmer income in the last 20 years has decreased 30 percent in real terms.  So the farmer needs to find technologies that make their activity sustainable, because many of these farmers are families that have been in the business for a long time and have a strong bond to cultivation and land. … I think that those genetically modified varieties and conservation agriculture are a way to make agriculture sustainable.

José María Falcão
The food crisis that we are suffering today shows us that eggs, potatoes, chicken and maize do not suddenly appear on the supermarket shelves. They come from land that has production costs, that involves many families working in this sector …

It is extremely important that the European and world society look to the farmer in a different way.  They need to see us as an integral part of the sustainability of this economic activity. …

… Just a few droughts in Australia, a bit too much rain in America and a lack of production in other European countries, … and we quickly went from an abundance to a lack of food. …

… Biotechnology gives us the ability … to have something more productive, safer and more environmentally responsible. … This is the only way to increase productivity and reduce the world area reserved for these crops. … We are creating sustainability in regional, national and global terms.