Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture No. 2/06
Economic evaluation of transgenic pest resistant rice in the Philippines and Vietnam
Cezar B. Mamaril
The University of the Philippines-Los Banos, Laguna, the Philippines,
and
George W. Norton
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
Abstract
The poor in Asia receive about half their calories from rice and rice
demand is expected to grow substantially over the next three decades.
Results of rice biotechnology research may help address quantity and
quality constraints to increased production in both favorable and
fragile ecosystems. Preliminary field testing of transgenic Bt rice,
conducted in collaboration between the International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI) and national agricultural research and extension
systems (NARES), has shown excellent resistance against stemborer, the
most important insect pest of rice in Asia. This study focuses on
projecting the level and distribution of benefits of Bt rice, assuming
cross-country technology and price spillover effects, using Bt Indica
rice for stemborer control in the Philippines and Vietnam as an
example. Comparisons are made with potential benefits of other types of
pest-related rice biotechnologies. Benefits are expressed in terms of
changes in the present value of economic surplus. Total economic gains
from adopting Bt rice in the Philippines under the baseline scenario
are estimated (in 2000 prices) at $619 million (range of $306-717),
with $270 million (range of $136-276) in the Philippines, $329 million
(range of $159-415) in Vietnam, and $20 million (range of $10-26
million) in the rest of the world (ROW). These gains represent roughly
6% of the value of milled rice in the Philippines and Vietnam. Roughly
two-thirds of the gains in both countries are received by producers,
and the (small) benefits accruing to ROW result from the lower world
price induced by production increases in Vietnam. Delaying the release
of the Bt technology just 5 years cuts the benefits by 20%, assuming a
5% discount Rate.
Keywords: transgenic rice benefits, stemborer, economic surplus analysis
JEL: Q 160
Vol. 45 (2006), No. 2: 127-144