Indian farmers can’t wait anymore, they are sowing seeds of GM crops one Bt brinjal at a time (The Print)

The Print (India) published an article on how the Modi govt’s nod to field trials of two brinjal varieties comes after years of delayed decisions, leaving farmers to deal with daily risks of agriculture. Whereas the projects failed in India, Bangladesh picked up where India left off.  IFPRI, together with the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), carried out a randomized control trial among Bt Brinjal and non-Bt Brinjal farmers in Bangladesh in 2018. The key findings (See blogpost, Impact study demonstrates Bt brinjal eggplant variety helps farmers in Bangladesh earn more with less pesticide) showed that net yields were 42 percent higher for Bt Brinjal farmers. The Bt Brinjal farmers also witnessed a 31 percent reduction in costs per kg of produce, and a 27.3 percent increase in gross revenue per hectare.