GM Cotton

New GM cotton can reverse the yield decline

Biotech regulator GEAC has recommended the environmental release of genetically-modified mustard. But not all are happy with this decision. So what are the concerns around GM crops?

In late 2016, Monsanto withdrew an application seeking approval from New Delhi for the GM variety Bollgard II Roundup Ready Flex (RRF)

The decision could dissuade other foreign seed companies from scaling up their investment in the sector

Industry officials estimate the area planted with such seeds reached at least 10 percent of the 12.2 million hectares of Indian cotton acreage in 2018.

SC ruled the company's patent for Bt cotton seeds is valid, overturning a judgment by the Delhi HC saying certain items such as seeds, plants and animals can't be patented under Indian laws

Since planting is over and we can now only collect leaf samples, we will have to rely on farmers to trace the origin of seeds: Andhra

Hyderabad, 8 October: In a move that seeks to legitimise the cultivation of Roundup Ready Flex or Glycel BT hybrid cotton (BG II RRF), Andhra Pradesh government has set up a panel to study the efficacy of the seed in the fields based on a representation from local farmers.The twin traits of herbicide tolerance as well as bollworm resistance have made this genetically modified(GM) hybrid cotton so popular among farmers in major cotton growing states that it now accounts for 15-20 percent of cotton sowing area in the country, according to recent reports."Farmers of Amaravati Mandal, Guntur District have stated that, they are cultivating RRF or Glycel BT Hybrid Cotton Seeds during last year and this year, in view of its efficacy and resistance in weed management. This cotton seed is under cultivation in 50 percent of cotton growing villages and 15 percent of the total state," the state government stated in its orders while constituting a committee besides directing it to submit a report .

The order did not say how the farmers accessed the unapproved variety of GM cotton