Brasília, 2/12/2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The 1970 Nobel Peace Prize winner , Norman Borlaug, is visiting Brazil and says that he is impressed by what he has seen. Borlaug was the architect of the famous "green revolution" of the 1960s that saved India and Pasquistan from having serious problems with hunger.

Borlaug last visited Brazil in 1995. He says he has been surprised by the advances made since then. "Much progress has been made in reclaiming degraded pastureland for crop use, especially for soybeans. Progress has also been made in direct planting processes," said Borlaug.

He said that genetically modified crops are today's answer to the problem of increasing food production and heading off hunger. Borlaug pointed out that as rice is the only cereal that does not have problems with plagues, he would like to see genetic material from rice transferred to other cereals.

According to the director of Embrapa, Gustavo Kauark, with the recent approval of legislation on research involving genetically modified crops it will be easier to move ahead with work in the area.(AB)