The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Scientists unimpressed by media blitz on Bt cotton

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 12, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Scientists unimpressed by media blitz on Bt cotton

By S. Harpal Singh

ADILABAD, JUNE 11. Having completed the trial cultivation of Bt (Bacillus thuringensis) cotton in Adilabad district, the Mahyco (or Monsanto) and J. K. Seeds (Rasi variety) companies have launched an aggressive marketing campaign this kharif. The companies' combined allocation of seed for sales in the district has gone up from 1,000 packets last kharif to over 20,000 this season, corresponding to similar acreage.

Against this backdrop, the question being asked is whether Bt cotton is here to stay. While scientists say it is not, the seed companies disagree vehemently. But they have found the task of selling such a high number of Bt cotton seed packets difficult, and have had to launch into personalised advertising. The advertisements, in the form of reports in Telugu newspapers, carry `success stories' of a couple of individual farmers who have used Bt cotton seed.

Critical of this form of advertising, a scientist observed, "One swallow does not make a summer. Let the companies come out with one instance of an entire village benefiting from Bt cotton."

Scepticism over the relevance of Bt. cotton continues. In the last three years, the yield from Bt cotton seed has been just 20 per cent higher than the 5 to 6 quintals per acre yielded by regular hybrid seed, scientists and officials of the Agriculture Department point out.

The Monsanto distributor at Adilabad, Y. Ram Reddy, counters the allegation. "Last year the MECH-12 had yields ranging between 9 and 15 quintals per acre. That is the reason why the demand for our seed has gone up. Last year, Bt cotton cultivators spent less on pesticide sprays," he said. But scientists say last year cultivators of regular cotton hybrids also saved on pesticide sprays, as the incidence of attacks by the heliothis pest was low.

Besides wanting the question of the prevalence of the sucking pest answered, scientists are also questioning whether Bt cotton seed can take care of the increase in the maturity period of the plant in case continuous rainfall affects the flowering. Six-day spells of rain, rather than equally distributed ones, are normal in Adilabad.

But Mr. Ram Reddy claims that the MECH-12 is an early crop. Last year the entire Bt cotton crop in the district had been harvested by November.

Department officials and scientists demand that the Bt cotton advertisements must be countered and awareness on the negative aspects of the transgenic variety seed must be created.

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