Search the Internet          Tips  Sites: Finance, Investment

Govt allows sowing of three gene cotton varieties

India said on Wednesday it had allowed production of three genetically modified cotton hybrids by a private company which has US biotechnology giant Monsanto as its partner.

This is the first genetically engineered hybrid allowed for commercial sowing by the government after over five years of field trials and lab tests by the Mumbai-Based Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Co.

Monsanto owns a 26 per cent stake in MAHYCO.

The company started limited field trials of its BT seed in 1996-97 but has faced opposition from environmentalists and farmers worried about its safety and the transparency of the trial data.

The BT cotton contains the "Cry 1 Ac" gene and is resistant to the cotton bollworm, which can cause heavy damage to crops.

India on Tuesday approved commercial production of gene-modified cotton, and indicated it may later allow other transgenic crops previously barred because of worries about their impact on the environment.

"The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee has approved the release into the environment of three transgenic BT (bacillus thuringiensis) hybrid cotton varieties, developed by MAHYCO with certain conditions," GEAC chairman A M Gokhale told reporters on Wednesday.

Gokhale said these were the BT MECH 12, BT MECH 162 and BT MECH 184 varieties containing "CRY 1 Ac" and some other genes.

He said trials were continuing on a fourth variety and most probably would be approved by the committee.

"The period of validity of approval is three years from April 2002-March 2005," Gokhale said.

He said the GEAC, whose approval is mandatory for field trials and commercial production of GM crops in the country, will next take up a transgenic crop of mustard.

"Next application we are going to take up is mustard in the coming few months. Serious discussions are on within the group," Gokhale said, adding soybean and corn could be others on the list.

The GEAC has stipulated that fields where BT cotton is planted will be surrounded by a belt of land called "refuge" in which the same non-BT cotton variety will be sown.

It said the size of the refuge belt should take at least five rows of non-BT cotton or 20 per cent of total sown area whichever was more.

India, the world's third-largest cotton producer, has so far only allowed a few companies and research bodies to carry out field trials of gene-altered crops.

Traders say India has the world's largest cotton-growing area but its yield is just 300 kg per hectare -- less than half the global average of about 650 kg.

India has the world's largest area under cotton cultivation -- nearly nine million hectares with Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh states being the leading producers.

"About 150,000 hectares out of the present area will come under BT cotton in the first year," Gokhale said. "The increase in productivity will be spectacular but I cannot give you any figures."

He said there would also be a drastic reduction in use of insecticides.

India's cotton output in the current crop year to September 2002 is estimated to rise to 15.6 million bales (of 170 kg each) from 14.0 million a year earlier, according to the Cotton Advisory Board, set up by the central textile ministry.

Gokhale said MAHYCO would monitor annually the susceptibility of bollworm to BT gene and submit data on it to GEAC.

"We are going to make sure that MAHYCO follows these conditions and we will be checking the compliance at the company and dealers levels," Gokhale said.

ALSO READ:
Monsanto cautiously optimistic on India GM cotton
Govt panel allows use of BT cotton variety
The Rediff Budget Special
Money

Tell us what you think of this report