The Hindu Business Line : Documentary on Bt cotton busts myths

The period also coincides with the adoption of Bt cotton, the country's first genetically-modified (GM) crop. Yet, misconceptions and disinformation continue to constrict the growth potential of this technology.

A documentary film "The Story of Bt. Cotton in India" aimed primarily at placing the technology and policy context in perspective and produced by a team of experts headed by Mr Bhagirath Choudhary of International Service for Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Application was released at a national seminar on resurgence of cotton here recently.

While leading scientists, including Dr M.S. Swaminathan, are on record supporting adoption of GM technology, views elicited from cotton growers in several States, including Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, highlight their optimism about crop prospects and cost reduction.

On the regulatory regime, the documentary clearly brings out the position that as Bt cotton was the first biotech crop in the country, the Government followed strict monitoring and that various bio-safety tests were rigorously conducted prior to release.

Calculations show a profit of anything between Rs 7,000 and Rs 11,000 a hectare resulting from planting of Bt cotton, which demands less number of agro-chemical sprays.

The documentary clearly captures the way in which adoption of technology has transformed the outlook for growers.

According to Mr Choudhary, the project took almost one year to complete and involved extensive travel (5,000 km) across the country to obtain first-handimpressions and views from stakeholders.

The documentary will be translated into seven Indian languages for the benefit of those interested and shown widely in the cotton-growing belt across the country.

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