States to meet on Bt cotton price today

State agriculture minister N Raghuveera Reddy today said that a broad consensus was reached on pricing of Bt cotton seed among major cotton producing states and it would be firmed up at the tomorrow's meeting.

Agriculture ministers of Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra along with agriculture secretaries and commissioners of other cotton producing states "" Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu "" are attending the meeting organised by the state government to discuss the issues arising out of the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission's (MRTPC) orders against exorbitant Bt cotton price.

The minister said that farmers in the country would stand to save about Rs 1,200 crore on account of the reduction of Bt cotton seed price alone this year.

He said that a couple of other state governments, including Punjab, had decided to implead in the case filed in the Supreme Court by Mahyco Monsanto Biotech Limited (MMB) against the order of the MRTP commission.

"We also want the Centre to implead in the case in support of the state governments," the minister said in response to a question.

Besides the pricing issue, the meeting would also discuss the enactment of a comprehensive seed Act on the lines of the state government's bill, which is awaiting the Centre's approval, according to Reddy.