Seed industry raises a flag on surge in HT Bt cotton acreage – BusinessLine

With the rising acreage of hybrid tolerant Bt cotton (HT Bt cotton) threatening to cut into the revenues of seed firms and yields for farmers, seed industry associations have appealed to the Union government to take measures to curb HT Bt cultivation.

The National Seed Association of India (NSAI) and the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII), have alleged that the sale of HT Bt cotton seeds has suddenly shot up this year, posing a serious threat to the environment, farmers, legitimate seed companies and government revenue. It cautioned that consequences of allowing the illegal technology could be disastrous.

Also read: Highest HTBT cotton sowing in coming kharif: Shetkari Sanghatana

The two associations have written a letter to the Union Ministry of Agriculture, the government of India and the GEAC (Genetic Engineering Approval Committee) to initiate steps to curb the sale of the illegal seeds and take action against the offenders.

Besides causing harm to the environment and losses to the industry, the HT Bt seeds could contaminate the production of legitimate seeds.

The sale of HT Bt cotton is illegal in the country as the GEAC has not given permission to the technology yet.

The HT Bt cotton, the third generation biotechnology in cotton, gives the plant an ability to survive specific herbicides. It works on the premise that when a specific herbicide is sprayed on the crop variety/hybrid modified to resist that herbicide survives and all others are killed. The genetically modified plant has strength to withstand the effect of weedicide.

Though the farmers in some States have been growing HT Bt cotton for the last few years, the extent was limited to some pockets.

The industry associations alleged that there is a sudden surge in the acreage. Quoting a Department of Biotechnology (DBT) survey, they said about 15 per cent of the cotton acreage in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Gujarat was under HT Bt cotton.

The area under cultivation of illegal HT cotton has been increasing over the years. However, this year there is a big jump in such illegal cultivation especially in the major cotton States, M Ramasami, Chairman of FSII, said.

From an estimated 35 lakh packets last year, the area is likely to go up to about 70 lakh packets this year, Ramasami, who is also the Chairman of the Rasi Seeds, said.

The fact that the total size of the cottonseed packets is five crore packets (of 450 gm each) shows how alarming the situation is.

He said that the illegal seed packets indicate the presence of several technologies in the seeds. This could pose a very serious challenges to the environment.

If it is not controlled immediately by the government, it will spell disaster for the industry and farmers, he said.

NSAI President Prabhakar Rao cautioned that the proliferation of illegal seeds could decimate small cotton seed companies, while posing a major threat to the entire legal cotton seed market in the country.

To make matters worse, the illegal seeds are sold using the brand name of prominent companies. While the illegal seeds are polluting the environment, the industry is losing legitimate seed sale. There is a dent in tax collections too, Prabhakara Rao, who is also the Managing Director of Nuziveedu Seeds Limited, said.

He lamented that the regulators were focusing only on licensed dealers and seed companies, while unscrupulous players continued to sell the HT seeds without any hindrance.

The focus must be shifted to catching them and taking exemplary and strong punitive action, he said.

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Seed industry raises a flag on surge in HT Bt cotton acreage - BusinessLine