Filipino farmers anticipate Bt eggplant

Filipino farmers from Sta. Maria, Pangasinan anticipate the commercial release of Bt eggplant for their farm use. “When will you release Bt eggplant?” was the common question they asked during the February 23, 2011 visit to the multi-location trial site of the fruit and shoot borer (FSB) resistant Bt eggplant in the same town.

Pangasinan province ranks as number one producer of eggplant in the country and eggplant farming is considered as one of the major source of livelihood in the area.

The farmers have expressed their eager interest on Bt eggplant after seeing its side-by-side performance with a non-Bt eggplant from the trial site. Non-Bt eggplants were pockmarked from FSB infestation while Bt eggplants were damage-free. The farmers admitted that because of heavy infestations, pesticides were sometimes sprayed twice daily, one in the mornings and one in the afternoons.

Developed through modern biotechnology, Bt eggplant has an inherent resistance to the most damaging insect pest, FSB. This biotechnological innovation is being developed by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) in partnership with several state universities and colleges in the country.

Dr. Lourdes Taylo, study leader of the Bt eggplant project from the UPLB explained the development of Bt eggplant in the Philippines and the data gathering process and regulation it currently undergoes. Meanwhile, Dr. Emiliana Bernardo, entomologist and retired UPLB professor, assured the farmers that the Bt technology used in Bt eggplant is safe. Based on her experience as one of the assessors in the Scientific and Technical Review Panel of Bt corn in the Philippines, Dr. Bernardo explained that Bt will not affect humans and other non-target animals because its mechanism is specific only to Lepidopteran insects.