Humanist Baba Amte's Anandwan, a three-acre farm 110 km from Nagpur sown with Bt cotton seeds, has been devastated by the American bollworm against which it was supposed to have been genetically fortified.
This has led to alarm among farmers in the region who bought expensive Bt cotton seeds against the domestically developed Nanded 44 cotton variety.
Farm lobbies here want the proponents of Bt cotton and the genetic engineering approval committee (GEAC) of the Union agriculture ministry to re-examine the efficacy of Bt cotton being marketed by Maharashtra Hybrid Cotton (Mahyco) on contract with US agro-major Monsanto. Bollworms have consumed more than 80 per cent of the crop on Baba Amte's farm.
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GEAC had cleared Bt cotton seeds early this year and it was marketed as the answer to American bollworm, the biggest enemy of cotton crop in India.
Ironically, just beside the bollworm-devastated Anandwan farm, a crop of Nanded 44 cotton has been untouched by bollworm.
The farm is run by the Anandwan College of Agriculture affiliated to Panjabrao Deshmukh Agriculture University. The dean of the college, M Y Palarpawar, said,