Govt forms panel to probe sale of unapproved Bt cotton

The government has set up a committee to investigate sale of unapproved Bt cotton seeds in the country, Parliament was informed today.

"Few cases of cultivation of non-approved third kind of Bt cotton have been reported in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharasthra," Minister of state for Agriculture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

Field Inspection and Scientific Evaluation Committee (FISEC) under the Ministry of Science and Technology has been constituted for in-depth investigation on availability of such non-permitted Bt cotton seeds in the country, he added.

Bt cotton is the only genetically modified crop allowed for commercial cultivation in India.