GM crops will have to wait until 2036: Congress rejects government request

In a second vote, the Plenary of Congress rejected the request for legislative powers, requested by the Government of Dina Boluarte, which sought to end the moratorium on GMOs and allow their cultivation.

According to the current regulatory framework, the use of modified living organisms (GMOs) is prohibited until December 31, 2035, but the Boluarte regime, through the Minister of Agrarian Development, Ángel Manero, sought to advance the date and thus “start once and for all and not give in to imports,” arguing that national producers would benefit.

In his presentation of the project, Manero said that “we already eat transgenic crops” and that they were only targeting the cultivation of genetically modified cotton and corn: for the textile and clothing industry and for feeding chickens and pigs, respectively.

Jaime Delgado, founder of the Peruvian Association of Consumers and Users (ASPEC), points out that The Government does not value the advantages of Peruvian biodiversity compared to the massive production of markets such as India or China, and on the contrary, they put our wealth at risk.

“We are not prepared for the contamination and effects of GMOs, especially when we have so many species of native potatoes, tomatoes, kiwicha and cotton,” he noted.

Specialists such as Angie Higuchi have warned from this news organization that the agricultural sector has more important needs to address and the use of GMOs is not part of the solution.

“If the government is truly concerned about farmers, they should be supported in developing their potential based on input management. For example, the rational use of pesticides or fertilizer dosage, and even better, they should be introduced to advanced agroecological techniques,” he argued.