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L.N. Revathy

Coimbatore, Sept. 23 The total area under Bollgard Bt cotton has steadily increased over the past five years from 0.7 lakh acres in 2002 to a whopping 144 lakh acres in 2007.

Mahyco Monsanto Biotech (India) Ltd (MMB) has estimated the acreage to swell to 172.3 lakh acres during the 2008 kharif season with Maharashtra topping in total Bt cotton area at 72.1 lakh acres.

Bollgard Bt cotton (single-gene technology) was first approved for commercialisation in India by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) in 2002, followed by the double-gene technology – Bollgard II in 2006. MMB launched these technologies and sub-licensed 23 Indian seed producing companies for introducing the same in their germplasm.

MMB’s recent survey has revealed rapid adoption of these technologies. The company’s findings show that Bollgard Bt cotton has been cultivated in 76 per cent of India’s total acreage under cotton in kharif 2008.

The area under Bollgard II has increased to 45 lakh acres against 12.2 lakh acres in 2007 (an increase of 268 per cent) and Bollgard continued to be widely adopted on 127 lakh acres.

In Tamil Nadu, the Bollgard II acreage increased by 85 per cent to 1.2 lakh acres compared with 0.18 lakh acres in 2007, and Bollgard continued to be grown on 0.8 lakh acres.

The highest adoption for Bollgard II was witnessed in Maharashtra with 21.6 lakh acres against 6.3 lakh acres in 2007, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 8.4 lakh acre (up 88 per cent) from 1.01 lakh acre the previous year.

The findings further revealed that about 4 million farmers adopted the Bollgard II technology.

A cross section of farmers expressed their confidence in planting Bollgard II. “I extended the area from 1 acre to 3.5 acres this year. Bollgard II gave a higher yield of 11 quintals per acre, besides savings on pesticide and better return,” says Mr Godela Rajendhar Reddy, a farmer based at Warangal in Andhra Pradesh.

More Stories on : Cultivation | Cotton | Bio-tech & Genetics

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