Brasília, September 26, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The president of the Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil (CNA), Antônio Ernesto de Salvo, broke his silence. He is voicing opinions on the national controversy over transgenics. Personally, he guarantees that he is neither for nor against; however, he believes that the pressures in Brazil against genetically modified products "represent the attitudes of people who clearly want to get their own way, without information. It is reminiscent of regimes based on force: if they don't get what they want, they resort to breaking and smashing things. They go around breaking windows and burning soybean plantations, for example. They forget that Brazil is a democratic, capitalist country and that the businessperson has the right to choose between setting up a grocery store or an automobile dealership."
De Salvo considers himself a defender of the right to plant and to consume. "What they are doing is to interfere with producers and violate consumers, who are left without options. To prohibit is an act of violence." What is basic to all of this, according to the president of the CNA, is information. "A well-informed population would decide to buy the product or not, and producers would decide which variety to plant. The government, in this case, would not be obliged to provide explanations or to act cautiously in the face of pressures."
In his view, information about transgenic soybeans should be similar to the case of cigarettes, with warnings about health hazards, if it is determined that they exist. "Tobacco is harmful, but many people smoke, without worrying about it. I myself smoke, and I know that I am harming myself, but I smoke."
Another "erroneous" issue involving information, according to de Salvo, concerns the possible contamination of traditional soybeans by transgenic varieties. "The producer knows what he is planting," he affirms. In his view, what can occur is a mixture of seeds in warehouses or industries, combining the two types. "This is not contamination but a pure and simple mixture." That this kind of problem exists is attested by the European law that allows up to 3% of mixture. On this point De Salvo is critical of Brazil's current law, which allows only 1%. "We were much more realistic, which is a mistake," he affirms.
EUROPEAN MYTH
The president of the CNA is trying to demystify reports that, if Brazil produces transgenic soybeans, it will lose the European Union market. "The Coamo (Agricultural Cooperative of Campo Mourão), in Paraná, is the largest exporter of Brazilian soybeans to Europe, and they never imposed conditions on whether the product should or shouldn't be traditional."
According to de Salvo, in Europe only the Carrefour chain demands traditional soybeans, since it sells this product under its own label, with a seal stating that it does not contain genetic mutations. "This is the only instance, but it is not only Carrefour that imports our soybeans and by-products. Even then, the problem could be easily resolved."
In this case, de Salvo acknowledges the need for product labelling. However, in his opinion, this should be applied to the non-transgenic variety. "Whoever considers himself the best should flaunt it. The other type, which they already claim is dangerous, even without proof, should not have to go around announcing itself. The good type ought to reinforce its virtues constantly."
The president of the CNA also thinks it is possible to divide Brazil into areas for the two types of soybeans. In his view, there is a simple explanation: On the newest agricultural frontiers, such as the North and the Center-East, for example, it is more profitable to plant traditional soybeans, since the soil is less depleted from the use of agricultural chemicals, and productivity is greater. In the case of the South, where there has been continuous cultivation, the transgenic type turns out to be more productive and lucrative."
SOYBEAN PRODUCTION IN BRAZIL
Brazil is the world's second largest producer of soybeans, with a harvest estimated at 52 million tons in 2002/2003. This year the country should take over first place in exports, for the first time surpassing the United States. The forecast is for the country's foreign sales to amount to around US$ 8 billion, representing approximately 27 million tons.
The growth in Brazil's soybean production is mainly the result of productivity gains. In 1990/91, the country planted an area of 9.7 million hectares and harvested 15.3 million tons. In the 2002/2003 harvest, cultivation covered 18.4 million hectares, and the crop came to 52 million tons. This shows that Brazil more than tripled its production in 12 years. Over this period productivity increased 84.4%, from 1.5 tons to 2.8 tons per hectare.
In the most recent harvest, Rio Grande do Sul, the largest producer of transgenic soybeans in the country, gathered 9 million tons, corresponding to 16% of national production. According to the Rio Grande do Sul Federation of Agriculture (Federasulj), 80% of this total - 8 million tons - is transgenic. The state has 3.6 million hectares, and the Federasul estimates that transgenics were cultivated in 90% of this area in the last growing season. And more: Of the 500 thousand rural properties, 300 thousand plant transgenics. (DAS)
