THE popular denim pants and t-shirt worn like a uniform by young and old alike are made from natural cotton fiber. Indeed, cotton still wins hands down over synthetic or other natural fibers like silk, abaca and ramie as a favorite clothing material in the tropics.

Cotton fiber, after all, is comfortable, easy to maintain and relatively inexpensive. Not many people know there is a great probability that the cotton fiber used to weave the imported fabric came from a Bt cotton variety.

What is Bt cotton? This insect-damage-immune cotton contains a naturally occurring substance, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) protein, which is the active ingredient in safe and effective sprays for morre than 50 years. The production of this protein directly by cotton plants has virtually revolutionized insect control, making the lives and work of farmers better.

The major pest afflicting the crop, cotton bollworm, is easily controlled by Bt cotton.

The lint produced by the Bt cotton variety looks and feels like conventionally bred cotton. Side by side, they manifest no remarkable difference. The difference is significant in the production process. A farmer planting Bt cotton benefits in terms of lower production cost, owing to reduced inputs of pesticide and reduced labor requirements, as well as a marked increase in yield. Seed cost, though, is admittedly higher, but overall, this is compensated for by lower production expense and higher yield.

The significance of Bt cotton cannot be overemphasized enough, especially when considering the overall irony in the present situation. While most everyone, from babies to senior citizens, wear or use cotton-based material, the Philippines still imports 95 percent of domestic requirements from the US, Australia and Pakistan. The local textile industry accounts for 53 percent of its total raw material requirements.

Nearly 50 percent of our cotton imports come from Bt cotton-growing countries, the US and Australia. In 2002, some 20 percent of total cotton planted all over the world was of Bt cotton variety, with Australia and the US among the most significant planters.

Here in the Philippines, there is some hope the lopsided equation in sourcing cotton can be cured. The Department through the Cotton Development Administration proposes to introduce Bt cotton as an alternative to conventionally-bred varieties. If this happens, farmers can increase their income from planting Bt cotton, and textile millers will have a local source for good-quality fiber. More important, the country will benefit from homegrown cotton, and save an estimated $86 million in import costs yearly.