Farmers planted 3.5 mn packets of 'illegal' cotton seeds this kharif season

A Rs 450-crore market for unapproved GM cotton seeds has emerged in the country

The government might have approved only certain types of genetically modified (GM) cotton but the country's farmers have decided to ignore the rules and plant unapproved GM cotton seeds, that too bought at prices far higher than those mandated by the government, according to reports. 

In the current Kharif sowing season, farmers bought and planted close to 3.5 million packets, which amounts to a Rs 450-crore market for unapproved GM cotton seeds at an average price of Rs 1,300 per packet, of cotton seeds that incorporate unapproved "herbicide tolerance", or HT, technology, the Indian Express reported on Thursday. Currently, the