Altered Crops Backed by U.N.

In its strongest endorsement yet of genetically modified food, the U.N.’s food agency said Monday that enhanced crops were helping poor farmers and had so far been found to be safe. But most developing countries are missing out on the benefits because private research is concentrated on four lucrative cash crops, and not on the staples needed to feed the world’s hungry.

In its first major report devoted to the controversial issue of biotechnology and food, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said the biggest problem was that the technology had not spread fast enough to poor countries and small farmers and had focused mainly on big commercial crops: cotton, maize, canola and soybeans.

The report said the scientists generally agreed that the food derived from transgenic crops was safe to eat, though more study was needed on long-term effects on humans and the environment.

“Biotechnology holds great promise for agriculture in developing countries, but so far, only farmers in a few developing countries are reaping these benefits,” the report said.

Almost all genetically modified foods are grown in six countries: the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, China and South Africa.

The crops face widespread opposition in Europe and parts of Africa, where critics say that the long-term health and environmental risks are unknown, and that multinational companies stand to gain the most. Opponents also worry that the modified genes can spread to wild plants.

United Nations officials stressed that genetically modified crops were only one tool for sustainable agriculture, and that farmers also needed access to fair markets, low-cost seeds and productive land. But they said the crops offered advantages that could greatly help farmers and consumers, such as improved nutrition and resistance to insects and drought.

Governments should sponsor research and development of basic crops such as rice, potatoes and cassava, the report said, citing staple foods skirted by the private sector, which spends $3 billion a year on more profitable crops.

The FAO compiled the report to give governments and consumers sound science on a confusing and politically charged issue, U.N. officials said. Although FAO chief Jacques Diouf emphasized that current science showed that transgenic crops were safe to eat, he acknowledged that “little is known about their long-term effects.”

The report called for a case-by-case study of new crops and strict government regulation to win consumers’ trust and guard against future problems.

Experiments with genetically modified foods were approved in 1987, and since then, transgenic crops have spread widely, now accounting for 5% of the world’s crop area. Their use is increasing at a rate of about 15% a year, the agency said. The world will have an extra 2 billion mouths to feed in 30 years, a challenge that biotechnology can help address.

Some transgenic crops are spliced with bacterium genes that make them able to repel pests without pesticides that can harm farm workers. Others, such as “Golden Rice,” are engineered to produce Vitamin A, to address nutritional deficiencies in developing countries.

In a significant turnaround, the European Union ended a six-year moratorium this week on genetically modified foods, accepting modified sweet corn for human consumption.

But opponents believe such crops are too risky to human health and the environment. In 2002, Zambia refused U.N. food aid despite a growing food crisis because the maize offered was genetically modified. And because of deep-rooted suspicion among the public, biotech giant Monsanto announced this month that it had canceled plans to launch the first variety of genetically modified wheat.