The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Inflated hopes on Bt cotton: Minister

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 17, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Inflated hopes on Bt cotton: Minister

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, DEC. 16. BT cotton seed is resistant to boreworm but it has not been found free from other diseases, according to the Agriculture Minister, N. Raghuveera Reddy.

The Minister told R. Venkataramana (Congress) and others in the Assembly on Thursday that when the ground level reality was such, farmers were under illusion that BT cotton seed was resistant to all diseases. This was due to the "misinformation" carried out by vested interests and by some ignorant and overenthusiastic farmers.

Saving aspect

Mr Reddy said farmers were preferring BT cotton to other varieties since the former would not require pesticide-spraying at least once. This impliesd a saving of Rs 6,000 or more.

He said only two firms were supplying BT cotton seed in Andhra Pradesh while two others had approached the Union Government for nod to enter the market.

The Government had received complaints against the first two firms from farmers of Warangal, Guntur, Krishna and Khammam districts that the seed supplied by them was afflicted with diseases in some cases. The compensation could be claimed through the district-level committee headed by the Joint Director of Agriculture under the MoU signed with the firms.

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