BT 3 cotton seeds banned by govt, so farmers now buying them online

Indian farmers have been planting Bollgard II variety till now whose yields have hit a plateau and the government has not approved Bollgard 3 seeds yet

Despite a ban on the genetically modified Bollgard 3 cotton seed, farmers are buying it from online portals. The suppliers are said to be companies based in Gujarat, according to a ToI report.

Bollgard 3 (BT3) has been developed by Monsanto and is so designed that it can 'kill Helicoverpa spp. larvae'. It is being sold on online portal IndiaMart.

Why farmers are buying Bollgard III illegally

The technology currently licensed out by Monsanto is known as Bollgard II. The company received a patent in 2009 in India for Bollgard II's ability to modify cotton seeds to include a microbe