The Hindu : Mixed response to Bt Cotton in Gulbarga Dt.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 02, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Mixed response to Bt Cotton in Gulbarga Dt.

By T.V. Sivanandan

GULBARGA FEB. 1. The area under the controversial genetically engineered Bt Cotton cultivation this year is much less than the target, and it has evoked a mixed response from farmers, at least in Gulbarga District.

Monsanto, which is marketing Bt Cotton seeds through Mahyco-Monsanto, is yet to make an impact on the State with its product, which is genetically engineered to prevent the bollworm attack on cotton.

Though the State Government permitted Mahyco-Monsanto to release 20,000 packets of Bt Cotton seeds on a trial basis in the market, the company reduced the area of cultivation to 16,000 acres even before sowing commenced due to the shortage of seeds. However, inquiries with the officials of Mahyco-Monsanto here revealed that only 5,301 packets were released in 12 districts for commercial sale and on a trial basis in four districts this year.

While the officials claimed that they had released Bt Cotton seeds for commercial use, the Government maintained that the company had been permitted to conduct field trials only in some places.

Though Mahyco-Monsanto initially claimed that the bollworm menace could be eradicated with the introduction of Bt Cotton, the officials admitted that the farmers would have to take up spraying if the presence of bollworm in the crop was more than the economic threshold level (ETL). The presence of one bollworm per plant is considered as ETL.

According to Mahyco-Monsanto, the variety, which had been released now, could only control American bollworm, pink bollworm, and spotted bollworm found in the country, and not the spodactra bollworm, which was not found here.

A visit to some of the cotton fields in Gulbarga District where the company has sold 386 packets of Bt Cotton seeds revealed that the impact of bollworm on the crop could not be judged this year because the presence of the pest was very low not only in cotton but also in crops such as red gram and Bengal gram.

Rajendra Kulkarni, a progressive farmer, who has taken up Bt Cotton cultivation on his one acre plot on the outskirts of Jewargi in the district, said the expected yield of Bt Cotton was around 10 quintals an acre, which was much lower than the company's claim of 15 to 20 quintals.

Vijayakumar, Sales Officer of Mahyco-Monsanto, said the yield was low because seeds were sown late, and due to the sap-sucking pests.

Mr. Kulkarni said that he did not find much difference between Bt Cotton and other varieties as far as the yield was concerned. He sprayed pesticides after noticing bollworms in the plants as usual.

However, Piddappa Nandikur, who has cultivated Bt cotton on his five-acre plot at Shahapur, said the yield this year would be 15 quintals per acre.

He too sprayed pesticides four times after noticing pests in the initial stage. The advantages of Bt Cotton would be known only when there were pest attacks on other crops, he added.

Mr. Vijaykumar said while releasing seeds, the company had stated that there would be pest attacks on Bt Cotton, and had suggested preventive steps such as spraying pesticides.

The Joint Director of Agriculture, Hanumanthaiah, said the condition of non-Bt crops was also good this year due to low incidents of pest attack.

The efficacy of Bt Cotton would be known only when the pest attack was rampant, he added.

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