Indian Government admits failure of Bt cotton in 2 States

Gargi Parsai
The Hindu, Nov 27 2005
        
State Governments to take action against producers, suppliers of spurious seeds                                                                           

• The GEAC has not renewed permission for cultivation of three Cotton Mahyco [Monsanto's partner in India] hybrids
• Tamil Nadu Government advised to constitute special flying squads to prevent sale of illegal seeds
• Andhra Pradesh seeks compensation amounting to Rs. 3.84 crores from Monsanto-Mahyco
  

The Government on Friday conceded the failure of Bt cotton in Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Subsequently, permission for sale of the Monsanto-Mahyco varieties of MECH seeds had not been renewed for Andhra Pradesh this kharif.

The Centre has asked the cotton-growing State Governments to take action against producers, suppliers and vendors of spurious Bt cotton seeds that have failed to germinate or are non-Bt cotton seeds being sold in the name of transgenic seeds at exorbitant prices.
                                          
It has also asked States to monitor the performance of Bt cotton by constituting State level and district level coordination committees.
                                          
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar told the Rajya Sabha that the Andhra Pradesh Government had reported large-scale complaints against Bt cotton seeds that had failed in Warangal district and other parts of the State during kharif 2004 causing losses to farmers.
                                          
The State Government had sought compensation amounting to Rs. 3.84 crores from Monsanto-Mahyco. The company had appealed before the State-level Memorandum of Understanding Committee and the High Court.
                                         
The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has not renewed permission for cultivation of three Mahyco cotton hybrids, including Bt MECH-12, Bt MECH-162, Bt MECH-184 for Andhra Pradesh.
                                          
The State Government has imposed a ban on sale of Bt cotton hybrids of the company during kharif 2005. In Rajasthan too some Bt cotton had performed poorly due to inadequate rain, a long dry spell and high temperature during the crop's growth period, the Minister said.
                                          
The Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR) in Nagpur has been notified as referral laboratory for detecting the presence or absence of Bt gene in the cotton seeds.
                                         
The Department of Seed Certification in Tamil Nadu has also established a laboratory for similar purpose in Coimbatore.
                                         
The State Governments have been advised to constitute special flying squads to prevent sale of illegal Bt.cotton seeds and undertake massive campaigns to educate farmers on the subject.