Farmers get another relief as Centre lowers price of BT cotton seeds

The move comes hours after thousands of farmers in Maharashtra protested in Mumbai seeking loan waivers, among other demands

In a farmer-centric move, the central government, after a gap of two years, lowered the retail price of BT cotton seeds by Rs 60 to Rs 740 for a 450-gramme packet. This also includes the ‘trait value’ (licence fee) of genetically modified (BT) cotton seeds for the 2018-19 crop season that has been cut by Rs 10.

A formal notification regarding the same was issued late Monday.

The current price of Bt cotton is Rs 800 for a 450-gram packet, of which Rs 49 is the ‘trait fee’, including taxes. The trait fee is what seed companies have to pay