The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : `Global adoption of Bt Cotton has increased'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 14, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

`Global adoption of Bt Cotton has increased'

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, OCT. 13. Notwithstanding the controversy surrounding its commercial launch in India, the global adoption of Bt cotton has grown dramatically. From 0.8 million hectares in 1996 to 5.7 million hectares by the end of 2003, the rise has been seven-fold. The number of countries adopting it increased from three to nine during the period.

The Manager of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), Margarita Escaler, told mediapersons attending a workshop here that 2002 and 2003 had been significant years for the adoption of Bt cotton worldwide. China increased the area for the sixth consecutive year, from 2.1 million hectares in 2002 to 2.8 million hectares in 2003. This was equivalent to 58 per cent of the total cotton area of 4.8 million hectares, she said.

ICRISAT workshop

Ms. Margarita was making a presentation on the global status of crop biotechnology at the three-day seminar-workshop on `Covering Biotech: Issues and Opportunities for the News Media' at the International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) here. The workshop was organised by the ICRISAT and the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre of India (AMIC).

The ISAAA and the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), were the co-sponsors. Journalists from leading media organisations participated.

Ms. Margarita said India, the world's largest cotton-growing country, accounting for 25 per cent (8.7 million hectares) of the global cotton hectarage, grew 44,500 hectares of Bt cotton for the first time in 2002. The number doubled in 2003 to 100,000 hectares. Columbia in Latin America expanded its area to about 5000 hectares from initial plantings in 2002.

In a note circulated at the workshop, the ISAAA said it was noteworthy that more than 85 percent of the seven million farmers benefiting from GM crops in 2003 were resource poor farmers planting Bt cotton, mainly in nine provinces in China and in South Africa.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh