Will talk to environment ministry on HtBt cotton issue, says Chouhan

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan says the agriculture ministry will discuss the illegal cultivation of HtBt cotton with the environment ministry, addressing concerns raised by farmers

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday said he will raise the issue  of herbicide tolerant BT cotton (HtBt) with the Union Environment Ministry as there are reports of farmers growing them illegally.

 

“We will also talk about Htbt cotton with the environment ministry. It is being said that seeds are coming in secretly and illegally. We will work seriously on this too,” Chouhan said while addressing high-level stakeholders meeting on cotton today in Coimbatore.

 

Chouhan’s statement came amid reports that a high-powered panel appointed by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) has given a favourable recommendation on commercialisation of HtBt cotton after analysing three years’ bio-safety data.

 

GEAC works under the Ministry of Environment.

 

Chouhan said if farmers grow that type of cotton which is beneficial to industry then they will get good rates.

 

Formal approvals for HtBt cotton have been pending for a long time due to strident opposition from some quarters over the indiscriminate use of controversial herbicide Glyphosate that such varieties are resistant to. 

 

An application for BG11 Round-Up Ready Flex has been pending for approval for a long time.

 

Since 2002, no new BT technology has been introduced in the country for cotton which has also spawned a large market for illegally developed BT that is causing more harm to farmers.

 

The problems are not just in the production, millers and ginners who had embarked on a massive expansion drive adding new spindles almost every year are also staring at a problem as dipping domestic cotton production is pushing up reliance on imports.

 

India’s domestic cotton production has dropped from a high of around 36 million bales in 2013-14 (October to September) to around 30 million bales in 2024-25 (October to September), a drop of almost 20 per cent.

 

As a result of which, India has become a net importer from being a net exporter of cotton.

 

Chouhan, meanwhile, said that India’s cotton per hectare yield cannot remain much below the world average if the country has to become world leader in cotton production.

 

He also announced the setting up of a special panel of senior officials from the ministry of agriculture, Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR), textiles ministry, representatives of state government and others to prepare a roadmap for rejuvenating the country’s cotton sector.