The Bt eggplant project in South Asia: Successes, challenges, and next steps

Eggplant is a major vegetable crop throughout Asia. Its primary insect pest is the eggplant fruit and shoot borer, (EFSB), Leucinodes orbonalis Guenée, which causes tremendous losses despite excessive insecticide treatments. Since 2005, USAID has supported efforts to bring a biotech solution to this problem-- Bt eggplant. The consortium consists of within-country organizations in India, Bangladesh and the Philippines, Cornell University, and the India-based Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Co. Pvt. Ltd. (Mahyco) which created the EE-1 event expressing Cry1Ac. Field studies have demonstrated this event provides excellent control of EFSB with environmental safety. Although approved by Indian regulatory agencies, in 2010 a moratorium was placed on its commercial release which remains to the present. Meanwhile, in Bangladesh four local lines with EE-1 were approved for cultivation in 2013. Adoption of Bt eggplant in Bangladesh has grown yearly and in 2023 over 60,000 farmers grew Bt eggplant. In the Philippines, required biosafety-related studies were conducted and the Biosafety Permit for commercial planting was granted. However, in April 2024, although the Bt eggplant permit was not revoked, the Court directed UPLB to halt commercial propagation and activities related to Bt eggplant under the issued Biosafety Permit until the concerned government agencies complied with the legal order. This far-reaching ruling is being appealed. In Bangladesh, farmers continue to benefit from reduced insecticide use and increased yield and current efforts focus on increasing adoption of Bt eggplant, piloting business opportunities for women to produce seedlings, and developing newer Bt eggplant lines for the market.