BT EGGPLANT IN THE PHILIPPINES

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is a vegetable with worldwide importance. It can have oval, elongated
and round fruits that are striped or plain-colored, ranging from dark purple, light purple, green, yellow to
white. The fruits are used in many cuisines. They are boiled, stewed, roasted, pickled, fried, or baked. In
the Philippines, eggplant is a popular ingredient in dishes such as pinakbet, torta, sinigang,
ensalada, and kare-kare.
1. Why is eggplant important?
Eggplant is a good source of vitamins, fibers, and minerals.
Eggplant is the leading vegetable crop in the Philippines in terms of area
and volume of production.
Small-scale farmers in many provinces grow eggplant and depend on it for
their livelihood.
2. What are the major constraints to eggplant production?
Eggplant production suffers yield losses from pests, diseases and extreme
environmental conditions. The most destructive insect pest of eggplant in the
Philippines and other Asian countries is the Fruit and Shoot Borer (FSB).
Eggplant yield losses from 51 to 73% due to FSB have been reported in the
country.
3. How does FSB damage eggplant production?
FSB can cause significant yield loss and reduce the number of marketable
fruits. Female moths deposit eggs mostly on eggplant leaves. Upon
hatching, the young larvae, after an hour or two of probing, feed on the leaf
tissues and tunnel inside shoots, resulting in wilting or drying up.
When the fruits are available, the caterpillar bores inside the fruit, producing
feeding tunnels. This makes the fruits unfit for market.
4. How do farmers control and manage FSB?
The majority of farmers still rely on heavy use of insecticide sprays, which
are mostly effective only against newly-hatched FSB caterpillars that have
not yet tunneled into the plant.
Farmers can also use different ways to control the pest such as:
follow regular crop rotation or intercrop the eggplant with other vegetables;
use nylon net barriers to protect plants from the insects;
trap male insects using pheromones to prevent insect mating;

 grow eggplants in a screenhouse before transplanting into the field;

judicious pesticide use to keep populations of natural enemies of FSB; and
harvest fruits frequently.
5. How can biotechnology offer a better alternative to traditional
control methods?
Because of time and resource constraints, smallscale farmers desire pest
control methods that do not require additional labor and material inputs.
Labor intensive control methods such as manual removal of infested shoots,
trapping of insects and application of netting are usually ineffective. Intensive
pesticide use often leads to environmental and health issues, and increases
the total production costs.
There are no existing commercial varieties of eggplants with high resistance
to FSB in the Philippines, and FSB-resistance is difficult to produce using
conventional plant breeding. By using biotechnology to introduce FSBresistance in eggplant, farmers may benefit from high yields of good quality
fruits. They may also save on production and labor costs as less pesticide
will be necessary to control the FSB.
6. What is FSB-resistant eggplant?
FSB-resistant (FSBR) eggplant is an insect resistant eggplant developed
with the help of biotechnology. Also called Bt eggplant or Bt brinjal, it
produces a natural protein that makes it resistant to FSB. Once the FSB
caterpillars feed on plant leaves, shoots and fruits, they stop eating and
eventually die. The Bt protein in the biotech eggplant only affects FSB and
does not affect humans, farm animals, and other non-target organisms.
7. What institutions are working on the development of FSBR eggplant?
The Indian Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company Limited (Mahyco) has
developed a highly resistant biotech eggplant. These eggplant lines have
been used as source of FSB resistant trait of biotech eggplants in India,
Bangladesh and the Philippines. The Institute of Plant Breeding at the
University of the Philippines Los Baos (IPB-UPLB) is currently developing
FSBR eggplant for the Philippines through partnership with Mahyco
and Cornell University, and with support from the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) through the Agricultural Biotechnology
Support Project II (ABSP II), the International Service for the Acquisition of
Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) and Department of Agriculture of the

Philippines.
8. Is FSBR eggplant safe to eat?
Before the FSBR eggplant is approved for commercial use, scientists
andregulators ensure that it passes through many tests and safety
assessments. In the Philippines, biosafety is evaluated in four stages:
(1) contained research in laboratories and screenhouses;
(2) small confined trials;
(3) multi-location field trials; and
(4) commercial release.
The National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines (NCBP) is
responsible for evaluating the safety of FSBR eggplant under contained and
confined conditions. The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) and other regulatory
agencies under the Department of Agriculture take charge of the safety
assessment and monitoring during large field trials and prior to and after
commercial release. In addition, the reduced use of chemicals on Bt eggplant
will mean that less pesticide residue will remain on the fruit when it is brought
to market.
9. Is FSBR eggplant already available in the market?
In the Philippines, this biotech eggplant is not yet commercially available. The promising varieties are
still under the multilocation field trials and tests are continually being done to ensure safety and good
performance of the product.
Once it is approved for commercial release, seeds will be made available to farmers. In India, similar
FSBR eggplant varieties are near commercialization, and are in the later stages of evaluation and
safety assessment.

Bt talong unsafe and dangerous to environmental health: report

Greenpeace calls on DA to stop all GMO trials and releases
Press release - April 17, 2012
A new report released today by Greenpeace confirms the dangers of cultivating genetically-modified
organisms (GMOs). The report, which focuses on Bt eggplant, a GMO variety currently being field-tested in
the Philippines, details how the spread of the genetically-modified Bt gene can cause eggplant to be an
aggressive and problematic weed, threatening to overpower similar varieties.
In addition, Greenpeace maintains that GMOs grown in fields contaminate normal crops, threaten farmers livelihoods,
and are dangerous to human health. The group called on the Department of Agriculture to stop all field trials of
GMOs in the country, warning that the governments loose and cavalier policy favoring the open cultivation of GMO
crops is effectively transforming the Philippines into an unprotected test site for dangerous crops with far-reaching
and irreversible ecological consequences.
GMO crops should not be cultivated outdoors anywhere in the world. When they are grown in important areas of
diversity, like the Philippines, the serious risks of widespread contamination are magnified. In the case of Bt talong,
with its built-in insect-resistance gene, this poses risks of creating aggressive weeds that may wreak havoc to local
agriculture and natural habitats, said Daniel Ocampo, Sustainable Agriculture Campaigner of Greenpeace Southeast
Asia.
GMOs have never been proven safe, which is why they are highly regulated and even banned in many countries and
regions. This report is but the latest addition to the growing body of scientific evidence which shows that GMOs are
dangerous to our health and our environment, and pose significant threats to sustainable farming practices, he
added.
The whole of South to Southeast Asia is the primary diversification centre for eggplant, home to its greatest
morphological diversity (i.e. range of landraces and cultivars). India is its centre of diversity. Meanwhile, the
Philippines has a recorded 500 varieties of eggplant and related species. However, the report, an independent study
commissioned by Greenpeace, cites that a major concern is the possibility that the newly introduced GMO gene,
which provides the Bt eggplant with its own built-in insecticide, will confer a selective advantage that may enable it to
out-compete and overrun natural vegetation. [1]
Not long ago, Greenpeace also exposed the results of 90-day lab tests conducted by GMO proponents on mice fed
with Bt eggplant, which showed signs of toxicity in the liver and kidneys of the test subjects. Studies on Bt corn
varieties, already being planted in the Philippines, also show similar results. [2]
Greenpeace and other environmental organizations, scientists, farmers groups, local governments and nongovernment organizations to heed the precautionary principle and apply greater restraint in the approval of GMOs into
the country whether for food, feed or processing, saying that the 59 GMO approvals issued by the Bureau of Plant
Industry in the last 10 years is a scandal that undermines national attempts to mainstream organic and ecological
agricuiture.
Every time we plant GMOs we create an ecological problem. Every time we eat have been calling for a stop to the
open field trials of the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) eggplant, as well as outdoor cultivation of other GMO varieties. Field
trials of Bt eggplant are currently being carried out in four provinces with plans to propagate the controversial crop in
other places in the country such as in the Ilocos Region. In December 2010, the local government of Davao City took
decisive precautionary action by uprooting Bt eggplant trials being conducted by the UP Mindanao Foundation.

Greenpeace urged the government them, we put our health at risk. Its time that all of us, especially the government,
recognize the dangers of GMOs, said Ocampo.
Government regulators should focus on sustainable agriculture instead of loosely allowing the conduct of field trials
and commercialization of such crops for eventual human consumption. Can we hold responsible officials from the
DOA (Department of Agriculture) and BPI (Bureau of Plant Industry) accountable when serious and irreversible
damage to the environment and public health occurs as a consequence of their actions? he asked.

'1st GM eggplant soon to be commercially grown in

RP
Thanks to India, the Philippine vegetable industry will soon include genetically modified (GM) eggplant
as one of the prized food crops. Said to be the first GM eggplant in South and Southeast Asia, the new
pest-resistant eggplant was developed by the Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company (Mahyco) based in
Jaina, India. It was introduced in the Philippines three years ago and it is now in the final stage of trial
in greenhouse at the University of the Philippine Los Baos-Institute of Plant Breeding (UPLB-IPB).

GE papaya and eggplants to be marketed in 2 year

in the Philippines
Within two years, the Philippines will be a commercial producer of genetically modified (GM) eggplant
and papaya. This is the timetable of studies being done at the University of the Philippines Los BaosInstitute of Plant Breeding (UPLB-IPB). In a 1.5-hectare fenced field experimental area within the
sprawling UPLB complex, GM eggplants are lushly growing while biotech papaya plants have just been
transplanted.

USDA signs agreement with Philippines on

agricultural cooperation
Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer today signed a memorandum of agreement with Philippine Agriculture
Secretary Arthur C. Yap to promote agricultural trade and investment between the two countries. The
objective is to advance agricultural cooperation, productivity and sustainable natural resource
management through science and technology collaboration. [...] The Philippines is the first Asian
country to approve the planting of a biotechnology food crop - corn - and remains a consistent
supporter of rational, science-based regulations in many international bodies. The Philippines remain
on schedule to commercialize genetically engineered, insect-resistant eggplant in 2009 and virusresistant papaya and nutritionally-enhanced rice soon thereafter.

Bt brinjal and maize going to reduce poverty in the

Philippines soon
By late 2011 or early 2012 the genetically modified (GM) fruit-and-shoot-borer-resistant (FSBR)
eggplant will be available in the Philippines [Dr. Desiree Hautea, research professor of the University of
the Philippines Los Baos and FSBR eggplant project leader] At the same time, she said that since the
crop will be borer-free, it would increase the income of the farmers by 200 percent, or P50,000
additional income per hectare of production, thus reducing poverty among farmers.

Phillipines will be the first in Asia to commercialize

GE eggplant
The Philippines will become the first in Asia to commercialize the genetically modified fruit and shoot
borer-resistant eggplant by 2011. This developed after the harvest of Bacillus thuringiensis eggplant,
funded by the United States Agency for International Development, in a trial site in Pangasinan. [...]
the Indian government has halted its commercial release due to lobbying from environmental groups.
Bt eggplant will be the first GM vegetable to be released in the country.

Bibliography
Business Mirror. (2010, May 25). Bt brinjal and maize going to reduce poverty in the
Philippines soon. Retrieved March 15, 2015, from http://www.genetinfo.org/information-services/bt-eggplants-in-thephilippines/news/en/22006.html
GENET. (2010, July 19). Phillipines will be the first in Asia to commercialize GE
eggplant. Retrieved March 10, 2015, from http://www.genetinfo.org/information-services/bt-eggplants-in-thephilippines/news/en/22228.html
GMA News. (2013, May 27). Who's afraid of the GMO eggplant? Retrieved March 10,
2015, from
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/310245/scitech/science/who-safraid-of-the-gmo-eggplant
Greenpeace. (2012, April 17). DA: stop all field trials | Greenpeace Philippines.
Retrieved March 10, 2015, from
http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/ph/press/releases/Bt-talong-unsafe-anddangerous-to-environmental-health-report/
Inquirer News. (2013, June 26). Philippine FDA insists GM food is safe. Retrieved
March 10, 2015, from http://www.genet-info.org/information-services/bteggplants-in-the-philippines/news/en/27749.html

ISAAA. (2009). Pocket K No. 48: Bt Eggplant.

MindaNews. (2012, April 18). Greenpeace releases report on dangers of Bt
eggplant. Retrieved March 10, 2015, from http://www.mindanews.com/topstories/2012/04/18/greenpeace-releases-report-on-dangers-of-bt-eggplant/
Philippine Star. (2007, January 26). '1st GM eggplant soon to be commercially grown
in RP. Retrieved March 10, 2015, from http://www.genet-info.org/informationservices/bt-eggplants-in-the-philippines/news/en/14572.html
Philippine Star. (2007, March 07). GE papaya and eggplants to be marketed in 2
year in the Philippines. Retrieved March 10, 2015, from http://www.genetinfo.org/information-services/bt-eggplants-in-thephilippines/news/en/17188.html
Philippine Star. (2011, March 17). Philippine Agriculture Secretary say no to Bt
eggplants. Retrieved March 10, 2015, from http://www.genetinfo.org/information-services/bt-eggplants-in-thephilippines/news/en/23462.html
SEARCA BIC. (n.d.). Bt Eggplant in the Philippines - SEARCA Biotechnology
Information Center. Retrieved March 10, 2015, from SEARCA Biotechnology
Information Center: http://www.bic.searca.org/info_kits/bteggplant/faq1.html
SunStar. (2012, May 04). Philippine Supreme Court stops field trials of genetically
modified eggplant. Retrieved March 10, 2015, from www.genetinfo.org/information-services/bt-eggplants-in-thephilippines/news/en/25720.html
USDA. (2008, June 26). USDA SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH PHILIPPINES ON
AGRICULTURAL COOPERATION. Retrieved March 10, 2015, from
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?
contentidonly=true&contentid=2008/06/0164.xml

Bt Eggplant
Eggplant is a staple food in India and other countries in South and Southeast Asia where it is
calledbrinjal, along with over 30 Sanskrit names.1 It also comes in a variety of shapes and colors.
Some are striped and round, others white and short, looking like a chicken egg, thus its most famous
name.
In the Philippines, eggplant is known as talong and is the number one vegetable in terms of
production area. An average of 21,225 hectares is planted with eggplant each year.2 In India, it is

grown on nearly 550,000 hectares, making the country the second largest producer after China with a
26% world production share.3 In Bangladesh, it is the third most important vegetable in terms of
production and grown on about 50,000 hectares across the country.4 Hence, eggplant is an important
source of income to many Asian farmers.
The benefits of eggplant do not stop with the farmers. It is also beneficial for human health because it
is high in fiber and water, rich in anti-oxidants, and a good source of vitamins and minerals (Table 1).
Hence, this vegetable can help prevent cancer, diabetes, and gastrointestinal diseases.
Table 1. Nutrition facts on eggplant

Source: USDA-ARS National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference 5

Eggplant Growers' Pest Problem

Eggplant farmers suffer significant yield losses at 51-73% annually due to the Eggplant Fruit and
Shoot Borer (FSB).6 Female moths deposit eggs mostly on eggplant leaves. When the eggs hatch and
turn into larvae (Figure 2), they feed on leaf tissues and tunnel inside shoots and fruits (Figure 3).

Figure 1. Adult moth

Photo: Rao, 2010

Figure 2. FSB larvae

To address this problem, many eggplant farmers in major eggplant producing areas in the Philippines
and Bangladesh spray chemical insecticides every other day, or up to 80 times per growing
season.7,9 The practice is unacceptable and unhealthy to consumers, farmers, and the environment. It
is also a common practice in the Philippines to dip unharvested eggplant fruits in a mix of chemicals to

ensure marketability of fruits.7 In India, farmers spray insecticides 20-40 times per crop cycle or else
they will have no harvest.8

Bt Technology for Eggplant

Figure 3. Non-Bt eggplant

Figure 4. Bt Eggplant
Photo: UPLB IPB Bt Eggplant Project, 2014
Bt stands for Bacillus thuringiensis, a common soil bacterium that contains a gene which produces a
protein harmful to FSB. Scientists have incorporated this gene to eggplant to confer insect resistance.
Bt eggplant (Figure 4) expresses Bt gene, enabling it to produce the same protein that makes it
resistant to FSB. When Bt protein is ingested by FSB larva, it is made soluble by the presence of
enzyme and alkaline condition (pH9.5) of the gut. It then binds into another protein (receptor) present
in the midgut resulting to an active toxin. The Bt toxin then punctures the gut leaving the insect
unable to eat. The insect dies within a few days. 7 The Bt protein only affects FSB and does not affect
humans, farm animals, and other non-target organisms because these organisms do not have the
required gut conditions (pH and required receptor) to activate the toxin (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Fate of Bt protein in FSB, non-target organisms, and humans

Other Bt crops such as Bt corn and Bt cotton have showed improved pest management and reduced
insecticide use. This also led to greater net return for growers and improved conditions for non-target
organisms.

Philippine Agriculture Secretary say no to Bt

eggplants
Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala expressed objections to the commercial production of genetically
modified eggplants that were being tested in various sites in the country. Alcala said production of Bt
eggplants should be suspended until studies have proven that the genetically modified crop is safe for
human consumption. Perhaps after the field tests were done, hold the production for a while. We
should ensure that they are safe for human consumption, he said.

Philippine Supreme Court stops field trials of

genetically modified eggplant
Cultivation of genetically modified eggplants--perceived to be dangerous for human consumption--will
be put on hold after the Supreme Court issued a writ of kalikasan in favor of petitioners led by
environment group Greenpeace. Details of the writ issued last Friday however were kept private by
Greenpeace while the High Court has yet to post the resolution on its website. As per advice of our
lawyer, we cannot share the copy with the media. Basically, the writ is for respondents to justify the
field trials. I cannot go into the details for now, Daniel Ocampo, sustainable agriculture campaigner of
Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said in a text message to Sun.Star.

Philippine FDA insists GM food is safe

Following an appellate court ruling against the genetic engineering of eggplants, the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) insisted yesterday that genetically modified food produced through modern
biotechnology are safe.
In FDA Advisory No. 2013-014, FDA acting director Kenneth Hartigan-Go noted that all food derived
from genetically modified (GM) crops in the market have met international food standards and are as
safe as and as nutritious as the food derived from conventional crops for direct use as food, feeds and
for processing.

Whos Afraid of the GMO plant?

The Court of Appeals recently struck a blow to GMO crops in the Philippines by its decision to stop field trials for Bt
talong, a genetically modified (GMO) eggplant. If successful, this biotech crop would have allowed Filipino farmers
larger harvests while spraying less pesticides in their fields.
We need to strike a note of caution, but not in the way the court ruling suggests. Instead, as we look at GMO crops,
we must be careful we understand what they are, why they are an important technology to help us feed our people,
and why the scientific community says they are safe.

First, some science.

In conventional agriculture, plant breeders routinely use random mutations in crops to help select and develop new
and improved varieties. Plants naturally change and mutate their genetic material, altering, adding or removing
genes, destroying or making new ones. Traditional breeding starts by genetically crossing two different varieties. If a
rice breeder crosses two different rice varieties to develop a new one, for example, she is actually mixing together
roughly 800,000 mutations, and in most cases we have no clue what these mutations do.
Instead of depending on random mutation or generations of cross-breeding, genetic engineering relies on inserting
specific known genes into the DNA of a plant. GMO technology depends on our understanding how the gene we
insert works, and changing the genome of the plant in a very limited way.
Bt talong was developed by genetically engineering a gene from the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis so that the GMO
eggplants now produce a protein that defends it against insect attacks. This protein has been used by farmers as a
spray since the 1960s, and is so safe for humans that US organic farmers spray it into their fields to fight insect pests.
In 1995, the US Environmental Protection Agency approved the release of Bt crops for planting on farms. In the
Philippines, research was being done by UPLB, the University of Southern Mindanao, and several government
agencies to see if Bt talong is effective and can help our farmers improve their harvests. The recent Court of Appeals
decision stops this scientific research, halting the university field experiments.
At the heart of this court ruling is a public perception that GMOs are intrinsically bad. Yet these crops have been
around for more than two decades. In 2010, 66 million hectares of land in the US was planted with GMO crops,
including corn, soybean, squash and papaya. Eighty-five percent of corn and 90 percent of soybeans that are
planted in the US are GMOs. Americans have been consuming GMO foods for nearly 20 years, and there have been
no reported health issues.
Scientific studies always have to be done to make sure that specific GMO crops provide real benefits and are safe. It
is important that we do that. And GMO crops, which usually involve inserting a handful of genes, are among the most
heavily tested crops in the world. In contrast, new plant varieties you buy from your local farm supply store or garden
shop have not been extensively studied, and we have absolutely no idea what the hundreds of thousands of
mutations found in conventionally bred crop varieties are really doing.
As a whole, there is nothing intrinsically harmful in GMO technology. A statement released last year by the American
Association for the Advancement of Science, the largest professional association of scientists in the world, said that
"consuming foods containing ingredients derived from GM crops is no riskier than consuming the same foods
containing ingredients from crop plants modified by conventional plant improvement techniques."
The WHO, the US American Medical Association, the US National Academy of Science and the British Royal Society,
as well as the pre-eminent scientific body in the Philippines - the National Academy of Science and Technology agree that GMO technology is safe.
Aside from Bt talong, Filipino scientists are developing other GMO crops that promise to increase our agricultural
output, help feed our people, and make us healthier. IRRI and PhilRice are at an advanced stage of development for
Golden Rice, which provides vitamin A and helps prevent blindness. Scientists in the Philippines are working on Bt
cotton, Bt camote, and Bt abaca - all of which, like Bt talong, can increase yields without additional spraying of
pesticides. Scientists want to experiment on a GMO papaya that is resistant to a devastating virus disease and will
also slow ripening so the crop can be delivered to markets without spoiling.
This recent court ruling unfortunately dictates that scientific research on Bt talong, and possibly on these other new
biotech crops, must come to a halt. Our universities may no longer be able to do this vital research and we have
deprived ourselves of potentially ground-breaking technology that could have benefited our farmers and our country.
Meanwhile, the US, China, India and other nations reap the economic rewards of research and development on
biotech crops, while we and our farmers will once again be left behind.
In the debate on GMOs, it is ironic how selective people are on what they choose to believe from scientists. For
example, there are people and organizations that are happy and willing to accept the scientific consensus on climate
change. On this issue they believe the science. But when it comes to GM technology they ignore the overwhelming
scientific consensus on the safety of GMO crops.
Meanwhile, here is the US, I will eat GMO tortilla chips and eat GMO tofu. I hope to one day taste GMO pinakbet.
And I do so fully aware that I have nothing to worry about. TJD, GMA News

Greenpeace releases report on dangers of Bt eggplant

ByMindanewson April 18 2012 10:18 pm

MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/17 April) Greenpeace released today a report confirming the
dangers of cultivating genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).
The report, which focuses on Bt eggplant, a GMO variety currently being field-tested in the Philippines,
details how the spread of the genetically-modified Bt gene can cause eggplant to be an aggressive
and problematic weed, threatening to overpower similar varieties.
In addition, Greenpeace maintains that GMOs grown in fields contaminate normal crops, threaten
farmers livelihoods, and are dangerous to human health.
The report is posted in its website www.greenpeace.org.
The group called on the Department of Agriculture to stop all field trials of GMOs in the country.
It warned that the governments loose and cavalier policy favoring the open cultivation of GMO crops
is effectively transforming the Philippines into an unprotected test site for dangerous crops with farreaching and irreversible ecological consequences.
GMO crops should not be cultivated outdoors anywhere in the world. When they are grown in
important areas of diversity, like the Philippines, the serious risks of widespread contamination are
magnified. In the case of Bt talong, with its built-in insect-resistance gene, this poses risks of creating
aggressive weeds that may wreak havoc to local agriculture and natural habitats, the report quoted
Daniel Ocampo, Sustainable Agriculture Campaigner of Greenpeace Southeast Asia as having said.
GMOs have never been proven safe, which is why they are highly regulated and even banned in many
countries and regions. This report is but the latest addition to the growing body of scientific evidence
which shows that GMOs are dangerous to our health and our environment, and pose significant threats
to sustainable farming practices, Ocampo added.
Greenpeace cited the results of 90-day lab tests conducted by GMO proponents on mice fed with Bt
eggplant, which reportedly showed signs of toxicity in the liver and kidneys of the animals.
Studies on Bt corn varieties, already being planted in the Philippines, also show similar results, it said.
Field trials of Bt eggplant are currently being carried out in four provinces with plans to propagate the
controversial crop in other places in the country. In December 2010, the local government of Davao
City, citing an ordinance promoting organic agriculture, uprooted Bt eggplants that were field-tested
inside the UP Mindanao campus.
The field trial was financed by seed giant Monsanto Philippines. (MindaNews)