A 2006 study carried out by researchers from Cornell University (USA), the Centre for Chinese Agricultural Policy and the Chinese Academy of Science found that after seven years of Bt cotton farming in China, secondary pests previously controlled by pesticides increased in number, necessitating the use of higher amounts of pesticides. This significantly reduced the profit earned by hundreds of farmers across five major cotton-producing provinces in China, as they had to spend a significant part of their earned income on purchasing pesticides. A similar phenomenon has also been seen in India. Biotech giant Monsanto recently reported to the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee constituted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests that pink bollworm had developed resistance to Bt cotton (Bollgard I) in Amreli, Bhavnagar, Junagarh and Rajkot districts of Gujarat. After Bollgard I failed, the company started advising farmers to buy Bollgard II. This means that as pests eventually develop resistance to Bt cotton, Indian farmers will be forced to buy new and expensive brands of GM seeds.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 06:52:27 +0000
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