Bt eggplant trial wins nod of Kabacan town council

THE Sangguniang Bayan (SB) of Kabacan, North Cotabato has endorsed the conduct of field trial of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) eggplant at the campus of the University of Southern Mindanao ( USM ) in the town after prolonged discussions on the necessity of testing the safety of the genetically-modified (GM) vegetable.

Kabacan Mayor George B. Tan endorsed the test and asked the SB to endorse it as well, convinced as he was that the confined trial by USM scientists and their counterparts from the University of the Philippines at Los Banos (UPLB) had the approval of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) and had implemented "the preparatory activities as required by BPI, including several Information-Education-Communication (IEC) activities to enhance our understanding of the project."

 The approval was made on March 3, during the 31st regular session of the SB at the Datu Bundas L. Mamaluba Session Hall.

Vice Mayor Policronio J. Dulay presided over the session and secured the approval of the Resolution No. 2011-043 by SB members Jonathan M. Tabara, JC P. Guzman,   Edmundo J. Apuhin, George E. Manuel, Rayman L. Saldivar, Datu Masia P. Mantawil, Rolly A. Dapun, Datuan L. Macalipat and Dharin D. Pedtamanan.

Councilor Tabara, head of the SB Committee on Agriculture, endorsed the resolution after thorough discussions with the proponents, during which the committee members learned much about the field trial and its significance for the commercialization of Bt eggplant.

Kabacan is one of the seven sites for the field test of Bt eggplant, which has already been approved for commercialization by six scientific institutions in Indiain spite of feverish opposition by groups opposed to genetically modified organisms (GMOs.)

Tabara's committee also undertook its "own independent assessment of the project and found that it was well within the legal framework and has the potential to provide increased productivity to Kabacan farmers and those in neighboring towns as well."

The SB said that in spite of its endorsement of the Bt eggplant field trial, "it would continue to monitor the project and continue to be vigilant to make sure the project is conducted in the best manner, putting always the welfare of constituents who may be affected by the project as priority."

Kabacan's approval of the field trial is actually the first official endorsement issued by any local government unit (LGU) for field trials of Bt eggplant.

Bt eggplant has been developed to generate proteins that kill fruit and shoot borers (FSB) that penetrate the skin and lodge into the center of the fruits, rendering them useless for consumers.

Eggplants are the biggest-selling vegetables in the market since tomatoes are technically fruits and not vegetables.

Once borers infest eggplants, they may ruin up to 85 percent of the fruits.

Farmers have been known to spray eggplants with pesticides 80 times during each cropping, believing they could protect them.

Bt eggplant practically renders such practice unnecessary, thus reducing their production expenses and increasing their incomes in the process.