Is the Philippines ready for the large-scale cultivation of Bt cotton?

TL;DR

This paper examines whether the Philippines is prepared to adopt Bt cotton on a large scale after a long decline in the cotton industry.

Contribution

The paper evaluates the readiness of the Philippines for Bt cotton adoption, highlighting challenges and potential solutions.

Findings

The Philippines has received a biosafety permit for commercial Bt cotton cultivation.

The country faces institutional, financial, and technical challenges in implementing large-scale Bt cotton.

Potential solutions are proposed to support the revival of the cotton industry.

Abstract

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.