Accelerating the release of late blight-resistant potato in Bangladesh

Kihiu, E.; Malit, J.; Douches, D.; Fierro, J.; Magembe, E.; Ghislain, M.; Gatto, M.; Falck-Zepeda, José B.; Alam, M. Jahangir

Accelerating the release of late blight-resistant potato in Bangladesh

Autores

Falck-Zepeda, José B.

Alam, M. Jahangir

Descripción

Potato is the second most important food crop in Bangladesh, yet late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans continues to impose yield losses of up to 50% and drives intensive fungicide use. This policy brief assesses the potential economic and social impacts of releasing a late blight–resistant biotech potato, 3R-gene Diamant, developed by stacking three resistance genes into the widely grown Diamant variety. Using an ex ante Economic Surplus Model over a 30-year horizon, results indicate annual net benefits of BDT 183.77 million (USD 2.0 million), with farmers capturing the largest share and the greatest gains occurring in the northern regions of Rajshahi and Rangpur. Baseline projections suggest that adoption could enable approximately 884 people to escape poverty each year, or 26,511 over the technology’s lifecycle. Sensitivity analysis shows that benefits remain positive under conservative assumptions but decline substantially with delayed release or lower adoption, highlighting the importance of timely regulatory approval, strong seed systems, and effective diffusion strategies to fully realize the food security, income, and environmental benefits of late blight–resistant potato in Bangladesh.