THE COMMERCIALIZATION of bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) eggplant, a genetically modified organism, is projected to triple a farmer’s net income, Cesar B. Quicoy, chair of the Department of Agricultural Economics at the College of Economics and Management at the University of the Philippines-Los Baños.

"Projected net income using Bt eggplant may reach P65,489 per hectare compared to non-Bt eggplant whose net income is estimated at P15,687 per hectare," Mr. Quicoy said during a seminar on Benefits and Impact of a Promising Public Sector Crop Biotechnology earlier this week.

He added that the increase in income is due to an increase in yield when using Bt eggplant, which is approximated at 12,082 kilos per hectare as compared to non-Bt eggplant which is around 8,630 kilos per hectare.

Aside from an increase in yield, Mr. Quicoy’s computation included costs or inputs for production such as seeds, fertilizer and labor. He noted that while seeds for Bt eggplant are more expensive than non-Bt eggplant, the cost for pesticides is lower when using Bt eggplant because the plant is resistant against the fruit and shoot Borer insect, considered the most destructive on eggplants in the Philippines and other Asian countries.

Bt eggplant was developed by Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company (Mahyco), Indian subsidiary of US seeds corporation Monsanto.

In the Philippines, the main proponent is the Institute of Plant Breeding at the University of the Philippines-Los Baños, in partnership with Mahyco and Cornell University. It is supported by the United States Agency for International Development through its Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project II, the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications and the Department of Agriculture.

Confined field trials for the Bt eggplant, which began in 2007, are still ongoing in several sites including Pangasinan, Laguna, Camarines Sur, Leyte, Iloilo, Davao City and North Cotabato.

Mr. Quicoy said that due to the delay in commercialization of the Bt eggplant because of the numerous field tests it is currently undergoing, the country may have lost an estimated P3.297 billion in accumulated projected net income in 2008 and possibly P2.868 billion in 2009.

He presented his paper on Economics of eggplant Production and Potential Impact of Bt eggplant during the seminar.

Also speaking during the seminar, Kailash C. Bansal, professor at the National Research Center on Plant Biotechnology Indian Agricultural Research Institute, shared assessments of the Bt eggplant in India.

"Tests of the Bt Brinjal [which is the Indian term for Bt eggplant] was found safe for commercialization, however, at present, the Ministry for Environment is still conducting consultations before putting it in the market," Mr. Bansal said.

He explained that tests and consultations regarding the safety of any genetically modified organism are required before putting it in the market.

Mr. Bansal said that Bt eggplant reduces the use of insecticides and at the same time increases the marketable yield for farmers.

In addition, because the use of insecticides is reduced, benefits for farmers’ health are highlighted.

Opposed to Bt eggplant
Last Sept. 10, the Network Opposed to Genetically Modified Organisms (No2GMO Coalition) said that it will tap legal means to put a stop to the eventual commercialization of Bt eggplant because of its possible threat to the environment and to human health.

"We will invoke the Writ of Kalikasan [as early as October] before the Supreme Court because when Bt eggplant is commercialized, we believe it will cause harm to the environment and eventually to the people," Renato D. Pineda, Jr., vice-president of Consumer Rights for Safe Food, a member group of No2GMO Coalition, said during a press conference hosted by the No2GMO Coalition.

Mr. Pineda added, "as long as we can prove that the Bt eggplant can cause harm, then we can stop the eventual commercialization of the product."

The Supreme Court introduced the Writ of Kalikasan last April 15, and defined this as "a remedy available to a natural or juridical person, entity authorized by law, people’s organization, non-governmental organization, or any public interest group accredited by or registered with any government agency, on behalf of persons whose constitutional right to a balanced and healthful ecology is violated, or threatened with violation by an unlawful act or omission of a public official or employee, or private individual or entity, involving environmental damage of such magnitude as to prejudice the life, health or property of inhabitants in two or more cities or provinces."

Mr. Pineda said that his organization’s main concerns regarding the commercialization of Bt eggplant are its effects on human health, ecology and the country’s food supply