Is the Philippines ready for the large-scale cultivation of Bt cotton?
2025
Rosalyn B. Angeles-Shim | Georgina V. Vergara
The Philippine Bureau of Plant Industry released on August 24, 2023, a biosafety permit approving the commercial propagation of Bt cotton in the country. Bt cotton is genetically engineered to have built-in resistance to bollworm, the most destructive pest of the cotton plant. With the issuance of the permit and after more than two decades of economic slump, the Philippines is now gearing towards a renaissance of the cotton industry. But is the Philippines ready to implement the agri-technological innovation that is the Bt cotton? This paper provides insights into the promise of the proposed large-scale adoption of Bt cotton, as well as a commentary on the potential challenges that can impede the long-awaited revival of the cotton industry in this island country. Both challenges and potential solutions are presented in the context of institutional, financial and technical capacity of the Philippines to support the wide scale Bt cotton initiative.
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