Recombinant DNA technology offers opportunities for widening the available gene pool for crop improvement. Genetic engineering also allows the introduction of several desirable genes in a single event, and can reduce the time to introgress novel genes into elite backgrounds. Genes conferring resistance to insects have been inserted into crop plants such as cotton, maize, potato, tobacco, rice, broccoli, lettuce, walnut, apple, alfalfa, and soybean. Genetically transformed crops with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) genes have been deployed for cultivation primarily in the USA, China, Argentina, Canada, Mexico, South Africa, and Australia. The potential of insect-resistant transgenic plants with Bt genes can be enhanced when deployed in combination with alternate protective genes such as protease inhibitors, enzymes, and plant lectins, or in combination with insect-resistant cultivars derived through conventional breeding. While several transgenic crops with insecticidal genes have been introduced in the temperate regions, very little has been done to use this technology for improving crop production in the harsh environments of the tropics, where the need for increasing food production is most urgent. This may be due to the lack of infrastructure, biosafety regulations, intellectual property rights, or market potential. There is an urgent need to develop a scientifically sound strategy to deploy exotic and plant derived genes through transgenic plants for minimizing the extent of losses caused by insect pests. Equally important is the need for observance of biosafety regulations, a responsible public debate, and a better presentation of the benefits to sustainable crop production of a rational deployment of genetically transformed plants.