BT-Cotton yield touches 475 kg lint per hectare

Since the introduction of BT cotton in India in 2002, average cotton yield has increased from 300 kg to 475 kg lint per hectare and cotton production which was hovering around 15 million bales has also increased significantly to touch 25 million bales.

The country's cotton exports have also increased from just 0.1 million bales in 2002 to 3.2 million bales at present with a significant reduction in imports, said C D Mayee, chairman, Agriculture Scientists Recruitment Board (ICAR) while addressing a workshop on agricultural biotechnology.

Since the country approved BT cotton, the number of hybrids approved by the regulators has increased from three to 58 at present, he added.

With India embracing BT technology, it has led to a better pest and disease management and a reduction in the overall use and dependence on pesticides. It is providing for safer and healthier food and feed, flexibility in timing of agricultural operations, and conservation of soil moisture by farmers.

Besides cotton, nearly 20 food crops, 10 vegetables, some fruits and commercial crops are receiving attention for genetic transformation in the country. About 30 public institutes and agricultural univeristies are taking the lead.

Allaying fears of biotech crops, T M Manjunath, former director - R&D of Monsanto Research Centre, Bangalore said: "The fact is that every biotech product has undergone a thorough scientific scrutiny before its approval as safe by regulatory authorities for commercialisation. it is also a fact in the last 10 years of this commercial cultivation on millions of hectares in about 20 countries, biotech crops have not had any negative impact on man, animals, plants or environment."

"I am of the firm belief that the farmers of this country are intelligent enough to decide for themselves what is good for them. Let us not impose non-farmers' ideas to cloud their decisions. Scientists must perform their role of creating 'cafeteria of technologies' for farmers to choose from them. if the technology per se is not useful, let it be refined," said Mayee.