Akhtaruzzaman Amirul spent years trying to provide for his family through farming in the delta region of Bangladesh. But season after season on his farm in Koyra Upazila, pests would attack his eggplant crops, leaving him with little to harvest and barely enough to sustain his family. The constant struggle to make ends meet weighed heavily on him, casting a shadow over his hopes for the future. But everything changed when a local agricultural officer introduced him to Bt eggplant, or Bt brinjal as it is known in Bangladesh.
“The agricultural officer advised me that planting this variety of eggplant would yield a good harvest and be profitable,” Akhtaruzzaman says. “Taking his advice, I decided to plant it, and now I am selling large quantities and earning a good profit.”
The change was extraordinary. Unlike the local varieties that were frequently destroyed by pests, Bt brinjal flourished in Akhtaruzzaman’s fields. The pest-free brinjals quickly became a favorite among buyers, commanding higher prices at the market. “These brinjals are shiny, beautiful, and pest-free. That is why we can sell them at a good price, around 20 to 22 taka, and this makes it profitable for us,” he explains.
One of the key advantages of Bt brinjal is the reduced need for pesticides. Bt brinjal is naturally resistant to the eggplant fruit and shoot borer, a ravenous insect that can destroy entire fields of eggplant.
“When we plant other varieties of eggplant, we might have to spray pesticides twice a week, but with Bt brinjal, we can go 15 days or even a month without spraying,” says Akhtaruzzaman, who along with being a farmer is also a medical professional in his community. He says that Bt eggplant not only saves money but also ensures that his crops are healthier and safer for his family and customers. “Because we use fewer pesticides, there is no harm to the health of our children, and no health issues or diseases are arising.”
The success of Bt brinjal has not only boosted Akhtaruzzaman’s income but also transformed his life. “It was very difficult for me to manage my household with the crops I used to grow before. But after planting Bt brinjal, I have harvested a lot more. With the earnings from these crops, I have built a nice house for myself,” he says with pride.
Akhtaruzzaman’s experience has convinced him that Bt brinjal is the way forward for farmers in his community. “I would like to tell my fellow farmers that we should cultivate Bt brinjal. Even in a small area, planting Bt brinjal yields a lot of crops, and they are visually appealing and cost-effective in every way.”
With support from the Feed the Future Insect-Resistant Eggplant Partnership (IREP) project and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Akhtaruzzaman is confident that Bt brinjal will continue to bring prosperity to his family and community.
