Download PDF - SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center

January – March 2005 BIO LIFE
17
Table 1. Expenditures on Insecticide Use,
407 Bt and non-Bt Corn Farmers, Philippines, 2003-2004
Insecticide Cost (PhP/ha)
Location/Cropping
No. of
observations Bt Non-Bt Difference
1st Cropping
Camarines Sur 53 149 328 179.00
Bukidnon 68 134 56 (78.00)
2nd Cropping
Bukidnon 51 0 47 47.00
South Cotabato 103 206 652 446.00
Isabela 132 149 281 132.00
ALL 407 156 324 168.00
Source of data: ISAAA Corn Survey, 2003-2004
Table 2. Yield differences between Bt and non-Bt corn farms,
407 farmers, Philippines, 2003-2004
CROPPING/LOCATION Bt Non-Bt % Difference
1st cropping
Camarines Sur 4516.67 3287.46 37.39 **
Bukidnon 4215.90 3324.18 26.83 ns
All locations 4301.83 3307.75 30.05 **
2nd cropping
Bukidnon 2868.36 3566.30 (19.57) ns
Isabela 5303.85 4483.77 18.29 ***
South Cotabato 4793.55 3486.31 37.50 ***
All locations 4890.28 3789.96 29.03 ***
Both croppings 4849.50 3610.31 34.32 ***
*** = significant at 1 percent
** = significant at 5 percent
ns = not significant
Source of data: ISAAA Corn Survey, 2003-2004
Lesser use of insecticide
Before the adoption of Bt corn in the Philippines,
damage by the Asian corn borer on
corn yield had reached as high as 30 percent,
or a low of 4.3 percent. Farmers used insecticides,
which have been proven costly and
unsafe to the human health and to the environment.
With the Bt corn, Yorobe said insecticide
use by farmers was reduced based on
the amount spent on insecticides per hectare.
About P168 per hectare was saved on
insecticide expenditures by Bt corn farmers.
“This implies that farmers sprayed fewer times
and used less insecticides,” he said.
Yorobe explained that Table 1 (Table 4
in the study) showed that the amount used
by non-Bt farmers on insecticides was relatively
high in Isabela and Camarines Sur
because of the prevalent incidence of corn
borer. The cost advantage was not conspicuous
in Bukidnon especially during the
second (dry) season because the incidence
of corn borer was slight. More insecticide
use was also reported in Bukidnon in the
wet season because of the prevalence of
corn borer.
High yield and income
Of course, the major consideration in the
use of new technology—this time Bt corn—
is profitability. Farmers venture into new
methods to be able to increase their income.
The reduction in pest damage, Yorobe said,
translates to better yield and income. He
stressed: “Experiences in other countries
already indicate the superior financial performance
of Bt-corn farms over the non-Bt
corn ones.” A comparison of mean yield per
hectare of Bt corn and non-Bt corn showed
the “substantial absolute advantage” of Bt
corn (Table 2)
(Table 2 in the study). Yorobe observed
that in all locations in both cropping seasons,
the Bt corn farms had a yield advantage
of 34.32 percent over non-Bt corn users,
with a high of more than 37 percent in
Camarines Sur and South Cotabato. The
average yield of Bt corn farms was 4,850kg/
hectare compared to only 3,610kg/hectare
for non-Bt corn.
The study said that financial evaluation
on the performance of Bt corn farms also
indicated an increase of about 25 percent in
profitability over non-Bt corn farms. The yield
differences between Bt corn and non-Bt corn
farms were “statistically significant” in all locations,
except in Bukidnon, the study said,
at 1-percent level for the first cropping, and
5 percent level for the second cropping. The
favorable growing conditions in Isabela and
South Cotabato in the second or dry season
contributed significantly to better corn production,
Yorobe said.
Table 3 (Table 5 in the study) presented
an evaluation of the financial performance
of Bt and non-Bt farms for 2003-2004. The
production cost of a kilo of Bt corn was lower