Author : Castillo, Gelia T.

Summary : This paper presents the highlights of responses of eight Philippine stakeholders groups composed of consumers, businessmen, extension workers, farmer leaders, religious leaders, journalists, policy makers, and scientists. The opinion survey covered such topics as: stakeholder concerns about uses of biotechnology in food production; knowledge and opinions aout biotechnology in food; sources of biotechnology information and reactions to different views and perspectives about biotechnology. The focus of the analysis is on trends (tendencies), which have implications for future actions; for selecting target audiences for IEC activities; for choice of content in communication materials and for improving utilization of existing information sources. Although the mean scores and percentages arrive at present an aura of precision up to the second decimal point, the number are more appropriately regarded as numerical values for ranking responses and comparing stakeholders groups. They are indicative rather than definitive for possible course of action to take. The trends and directions suggested by the numbers are more important than their exactitude.