Bt Eggplant Project in Bangladesh: History, Present Status, and Future Direction

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide information on the history, accomplishments, and future direction of the Bt brinjal (eggplant) program in Bangladesh, formerly under the Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project II, now the South Asia Eggplant Improvement Partnership (SAEIP). The India-based Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company (Mahyco) developed an eggplant expressing Cry1Ac (EE-1) for control of the eggplant fruit and shoot borer (EFSB). In a partnership among Mahyco, USAID, Sathguru Management Consultants and Cornell University EE-1 was provided to the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) who bred it into local varieties. After regulatory approval, four varieties were distributed to 20 farmers who harvested Bt brinjal in 2014. Adoption in subsequent years has increased rapidly so that, in 2018, 27,012 farmers used this technology. This article provides background information on the process leading up to current adoption levels, the level of control of EFSB achieved and the economic benefits of Bt brinjal. Efforts on stewardship, farmer training and communication are discussed. In order to ensure the long-term future of the partnership, we discuss the need to enhance involvement of the private sector in the production and stewardship of Bt eggplant. Bt brinjal is the first genetically engineered crop to be commercially released in Bangladesh, and other GE crops are in the pipeline. Hence, success of the Bt brinjal partnership is likely to affect the future of other GE crops in Bangladesh, as well as other parts of the world where biotechnology is needed for food security and environmental safety.

Attitude Gaps with Respect to GM Non-Food Crops and GM Food Crops and Confidence in the Government’s Management of Biotechnology: Evidence from Beijing Consumers, Chinese Farmers, Journalists, and Government Officials

“…Rzymski and Krolczyk [65] find that the group in Poland that is most skeptical of GM technology is farmers. However, farmers in Bangladesh are willing to plant Bt Brinjal when they realize its benefits [80], while over half of Indian farmers are willing to plant it [67,68]. The result of most Chinese farmers being opposed to GM food crops is consistent with findings from Pakistan and Poland [65,78].…”

Food Systems for Healthier Diets in Bangladesh: Towards a Research Agenda

“…For example, Bangladesh released a GMO Bt eggplant in 2013 after decades of research (Shelton et al, 2018). BT Brinjal has already captured an estimated 20 percent of the market for eggplant (Shelton et al, 2018).…”

A highly efficient organogenesis protocol based on zeatin riboside for in vitro regeneration of eggplant

“…In addition, this crop has a great interest due to its high content in bioactive compounds, mostly phenolics, that have multiple properties beneficial for human health [2]. In vitro culture has been of great relevance for the genetic improvement of this crop, including the development of doubled haploids to obtain pure lines [3], or the development of the first commercial transgenic Bt eggplant [4]. However, as it occurs in other crops such as onion [5][6][7] or gerbera [8], available protocols to regenerate eggplants are mostly inefficient or highly dependent on the genotype [9][10][11].…”