BT Brinjal Impact Assessment

× We implemented a cluster randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of genetically modified eggplant (Bt brinjal) in Bangladesh. Our two primary outcomes were changes in yield and in pesticide costs. Cultivation of Bt brinjal raises yields by 3,564 kg/ha. This statistically significant impact is equivalent to a 51% increase relative to the control group. There is a statistically significant fall in pesticide costs, 7,175 Taka per hectare (85 USD per ha), a 37.5% reduction. Yield increases arise because Bt farmers harvest more eggplant and because fewer fruits are discarded because they are damaged. Bt brinjal farmers sell more eggplant and receive a higher price for the output they sell while incurring lower input costs, resulting in a 128% increase in net revenues. Bt brinjal farmers used smaller quantities of pesticides and sprayed less frequently. Bt brinjal reduced the toxicity of pesticides as much as 76%. Farmers growing Bt brinjal and who had pre‐existing chronic conditions consistent with pesticide poisoning were 11.5% points less likely to report a symptom of pesticide poisoning and were less likely to incur cash medical expenses to treat these symptoms. Our results are robust to changes in model specification and adjustment for multiple hypothesis testing. We did not find evidence of heterogeneous effects by farmer age, schooling, or land cultivated. Bt brinjal is a publicly developed genetically modified organism that conveys significant productivity and income benefits while reducing the use of pesticides damaging to human and ecological health.

× In this paper, we assess the impacts of genetically modified eggplant, Bt brinjal, on economic and health outcomes in Bangladesh using a cluster randomized controlled design. Bt brinjal cultivation reduces the cost of pesticide use by 47 percent. This is driven by reductions in the use of pesticides with adverse ecological impacts by 82 percent, and reductions in the use of pesticides with adverse effects on farmer health by 23 percent. Individuals who had a preexisting chronic condition consistent with pesticide exposure and who lived in villages randomly selected to grow Bt brinjal were 11.5 percentage points less likely to report a symptom of pesticide exposure and were 11 percentage points less likely to incur cash medical expenses to treat these symptoms. Net yields were 42 percent higher for Bt brinjal farmers, and our descriptive distributional work suggests that these yield gains are widespread. The differences in net yields were driven by two outcomes: the quantity harvested was higher on Bt brinjal fields, by 114 kilograms per farmer; and after harvesting, fewer fruits were discarded because of damage due to pests and diseases, by 40 kilograms per farmer. Increased production, together with a 14 percent increase in price and a 10 percent reduction in costs, leads to a substantial increase in profits from cultivating Bt brinjal for treatment farmers compared with conventional brinjal produced by control farmers. Bt brinjal is a publicly developed GMO that conveys significant health benefits, both human and ecological, while raising farmer incomes.

× Background
Agricultural advancements have transformed Bangladesh from a food-deficit to surplus country. Now, agricultural innovations are needed to confront emerging challenges: the slowdown in agricultural growth, low agricultural diversity, the effects of climate change, and a rise in pest infestations and plant diseases, to name a few. Brinjal (eggplant) is a high-value crop widely grown and consumed in Bangladesh. Brinjal is highly vulnerable to the fruit and shoot borer pest, and farmers spray the crop heavily with pesticides. Farmers’ spending on pesticides reduces their income; and increased pesticide use heightens their risk of contracting pesticide-elated illnesses, and facing related medical costs. Developing modern, pest-resistant crop varieties can help tackle these issues.
Agricultural biotechnologies such as Bt brinjal hold promise. Although the Government of Bangladesh approved cultivation of 4 Bt varieties in 2013, evidence on their potential is still lacking.
What is the Bt Brinjal Study?
In 2017–2018, IFPRI and the Government of Bangladesh partnered to estimate the impacts of Bt brinjal on production systems, producer welfare, and health outcomes. The study was designed by IFPRI’s Bangladesh Policy Research and Strategy Support Program (PRSSP), implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture under the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), and coordinated by the Agricultural Policy Support Unit (APSU). Project partners regularly monitored the brinjal plots throughout the implementation period. The Bt brinjal impact assessment was supported by the
Government of Bangladesh, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and Markets (PIM), and Cornell University