Big Promise, Bigger Questions: How Can Bt Cotton Weave Challenges and Opportunities in the Philippines?

On September 6, 2023, the Philippine Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) issued a biosafety permit for the commercial propagation of Bt cotton (GFM cry1A) developed by the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFIDA). The approval marks a breakthrough in revitalizing the cotton industry in the Philippines. However, is the Philippines ready for the large-scale cultivation of Bt cotton? This is a question that the authors, Rosalyn Angeles-Shim from Texas Tech University, USA, and Georgina Vergara from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), sought to answer in their commentary paper published in GM Crops & Food.

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