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HomePosts Tagged "BT Cotton"
AgroPolicy, India, Seeds, Textile industry

Given India’s target of $250 billion in textile production by 2030, FSII urges regulatory authorities to ensure a timely, science-based approval of this seed variety.

Giriraj Singh, Union Textiles Minister during his recent visit to Nagpur has indicated that a new variety of technologically advanced Bt cotton likely to be allowed soon for commercial cultivation to help Indian textile industry in a bigger way. He also stated that in order to overcome labour problem in this sector, efforts are on to utilise members of Self-Help Group (SHG) in a big way.

The seed industry welcomes the Union Textile Minister, Giriraj Singh’s emphasis on the timely approval of the Herbicide Tolerant Bt Cotton seed variety. This technology can address critical issues like weed management, enhance productivity, and improve farmers’ income. It holds immense potential to support the long-term aspirations of India’s textile industry, as the nation aims to establish itself as a global textile powerhouse.

Bt Cotton has already transformed India into a global leader, with production rising from 10 to nearly 40 million bales between the early 2000s and FY2014. However, stagnation since FY2015 due to pests, soil degradation, and climate variability signals an urgent need for innovation to revitalise the cotton industry.

Given India’s target of $250 billion in textile production by 2030, FSII urges regulatory authorities to ensure a timely, science-based approval of this seed variety. Effective public-private collaboration will be key to boosting yields and strengthening India’s cotton value chain.

Ajai Rana, Chairman FSII, CEO & MD of Savannah Seeds said, “We urge the regulatory authorities to facilitate a transparent, science-based, and expeditious approval process, in alignment with global standards. A proactive policy framework, with effective collaboration between government and private sectors, will play a pivotal role in ensuring sustainable growth of the cotton industry and safeguarding the interests of farmers and stakeholders across the value chain.”

Given India’s target of $250 billion in

Agri Genomics, AgroPolicy, India, Interaction

At a meeting held in Delhi, the progressive farmers made a strong case for the swift introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops and other advanced agricultural technologies.

 For an Atmanirbhar Bharat, it’s crucial that our agriculture remains progressive, giving farmers the freedom to choose the practices and technologies that best suit their needs. On Tuesday, farmers from ten states gathered in the National Capital under United Farmers Empowerment Initiative, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and help “make Indian farmers globally competitive, farming more remunerative, and agriculture a high-yielding profession.” They also requested Prime Minister to ensure the Government of India “cleared the regulatory hurdles at the earliest” to ensure speedy rollout of the GM crops.

At a meeting held in the city, the progressive farmers made a strong case for the swift introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops and other advanced agricultural technologies. This unified appeal from farmers across India follows the split decision by the Supreme Court on GM Mustard, a case that has been stalled for over two decades. Farmers gave a clarion call for a science-based approach to agricultural policy. The farmers stressed that India’s agricultural future hinges on the timely and responsible adoption of modern technologies like GM crops, which have the potential to boost productivity, reduce import dependence, and secure the livelihoods of millions.

The farmers highlighted that GM crops, including GM Mustard, have the potential to revolutionize Indian agriculture by boosting crop yields, reducing reliance on imports, and addressing challenges like climate change and pest resistance. They noted that these technologies have been safely used in many countries for decades, with no adverse effects on health or the environment.

“We are concerned that a game-changing technology like GM crops, which could transform the lives of Indian farmers, is being hindered and not introduced,” V Ravichandran, a farmer belonging to Tamil Nadu said. “We expressed our support to the government for their 2022 genome editing guidelines, which brought efficiency to the breeding process, and are appreciative of the Supreme Court’s directive to formulate a National GM Policy with input from all stakeholders. However, we fear that delays in introducing these technologies are negatively impacting farmers and hindering their progress,” Ravichandran added.

Despite overwhelming scientific evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of GM crops, there remains significant opposition in India, often fuelled by misinformation. The farmers challenged this opposition by sharing their personal experiences with GM crops like Bt Cotton, which has already demonstrated its ability to improve yields and boost farmer incomes.

According to the farmers, these technologies have been adopted globally for decades without any adverse effects on health or the environment. They urged the government to formulate a national policy rooted in scientific evidence to support the adoption of these innovations.

The farmers gathered under the banner of the United Farmers Empowerment Initiatives are staunch advocates for the use of progressive agricultural technologies, high-quality seeds, and judicious farming practices to enhance productivity. They have been pioneers in the successful use of Bt Cotton, which has significantly improved yields and farmer incomes across the country.

At a meeting held in Delhi, the

Agri Genomics, India, R&D

Prof. K C Bansal, Secretary, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, New Delhi, and Former Director, National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (ICAR), New Delhi

For a country like India, ensuring sustainable food security in a rapidly changing climate is a significant concern today. With the slow pace of yield increase, it is crucial to accelerate the genetic improvement of crops for enhancing food production and achieving self-sufficiency. The rapid adoption of science-based technologies for crop improvement, such as GM crops and gene-edited crops are likely to play major roles.

Science-based advancements of breeding technologies continue to dominate global agriculture, playing a crucial role in increasing food production. While conventional plant breeding has historically made significant contributions and continues to do so, plant genetic engineering has emerged as a powerful modern tool for crop improvement. Since 1996, several genetically modified (GM) crops with improved traits have been developed, and they have been widely adopted globally. Currently, they are grown in over 190 million hectares across 30 countries, including India. This makes plant genetic engineering the fastest-adopted technology in the history of modern agriculture. Furthermore, GM crops and their derived products have been used as food or feed in more than 70 countries over the last 25 years, demonstrating their safety to humans, animals and the environment.

In India, Bt cotton was the first GM crop to be commercialised in 2002, and its impact has been viewed as a great success story globally. Two decades later, in 2022, GM mustard hybrid DMH-11 and its parental lines were environmentally released in India, and genome editing was exempted in plants from biosafety assessment for crop improvement. These two modern science-based developments occurred in the interest of farmers and the national economy.

GM Mustard

In the mid-1960s, India experienced a Green Revolution that resulted in a significant increase in food production, from 50 million tonnes in 1950-51 to over 300 million tonnes in 2020-21. However, this progress was not replicated with any oilseed crop, which is urgently needed to meet our growing demands. Due to a serious deficit in domestic edible oil production, we heavily rely on imported edible oils.  In 2020-21, India imported 13.35 million tonnes of edible oils at a cost of around Rs 117,000 crore. Nevertheless, the approval for the environmental release of GM mustard hybrid DMH 11, developed by a public sector institution in India, with approximately 28-30 per cent higher yield, is a significant step towards reducing our dependence on imports. 

Mustard is predominantly a self-pollinating crop, making it difficult to develop high-yielding hybrids by crossing two diverse parental lines. To facilitate cross-pollination, a robust system has been developed in India using two transgenes: the barnase gene for male sterility (MS) and the barstar gene for the restoration of male fertility (RF). Hybrid seeds are produced by crossing the MS and RF lines. This two-gene system is also used worldwide in rapeseed, a sister crop of mustard, to develop GM hybrids that farmers grow on a large scale for higher yields.

To read more click on : https://agrospectrumindia.com/e-magazine

Prof. K C Bansal, Secretary, National Academy

AgroPolicy, India, Seeds

Other crop varieties that could potentially be approved for commercial cultivation in future are BT cotton, BT brinjal and HT cotton.

The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) has approved the “environmental release” of indigenously developed genetically modified (GM) Mustard Seeds. This paves the way for possible ‘commercial use of the country’s first indigenously developed GM food crop.
Prior to this, Bt cotton – the plant containing the pesticide gene from the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), has been grown in India for about twenty years. The approval makes GM mustard only the second approved transgenic crop in India after Bt cotton and the first such food crop that can be commercially cultivated by farmers.
Important to note, GEAC approval is not the final call for commercial release but just a step in this direction as it still needs approvals on higher levels for the final release.
The recent approval could pave the way for increased edible mustard oil production while reducing huge import costs for edible oil. It is being said that GM Mustard or DMH-11 seeds could yield about 30 per cent more than a traditional reference mustard variety.
For the benefit of farmers, DMH-11 could reduce the use of pesticides and insecticides during farming thereby leading to better yield production. In fact, other crop varieties that could potentially be approved for commercial cultivation in future are BT cotton, BT brinjal and HT cotton.
Mustard is one of India’s most significant winter crops cultivated between mid-October and late November. It is a self-pollinating crop which is especially difficult to hybridise naturally as it cross-pollinates itself.


Other crop varieties that could potentially be