Ecobreves – GUATEMALA: Super-Maize to the Rescue!

By - - and IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

GUATEMALA CITY, Oct 28 2006 (IPS) - In November and December, the first harvest will take place of the “super-maize” planted three months ago on 32 farms in Guatemala as part of a pilot project. This super-maize is a variety that retains the original flavor of the millennia-old corn, domesticated by the Maya, and, without genetic modification, is high in protein.

“It was tested over 20 years without negative effects for humans. Now its consistency — which used to be a little grainy — has been improved, and it is now the same as common maize, but more nutritious,” Jorge González, head of the National Coordinator of Basic Grains, explained to Tierramérica.

He said this super-maize, known by scientists as QPM (quality protein maize), represents a great opportunity for Guatemala, where the national diet is based on common maize, which is relatively low in protein.

Backing the project is the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center.