Brinjal is a high-value crop that is widely grown and consumed throughout the country. However, it is highly susceptible to the fruit and shoot borer pest. To fight this pest, farmers spray their crops heavily with toxic pesticides, which can have harmful effects on the health of farmers, their families, the consumers of the fruit, and the environment. Agricultural biotechnologies, such as Bt brinjal, have the potential to address this issue.
To this end, IFPRI's Policy Research and Strategy Support Program (PRSSP) designed a study, implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, to assess the impacts of genetically modified brinjal in Bangladesh. The study was conducted from 2017-2018 in four districts in northwest Bangladesh.
For more information on the Bt brinjal study, please contact the IFPRI Country Representative Dr. Akhter Ahmed.