The Hindu Business Line : '60 pc of Bt cotton sown in Punjab unauthorised'

ABOUT 60 per cent of Bt cotton seeds sown in Punjab are of unauthorised varieties that have not been approved for commercial sale by the Union Government, said Prof R.B. Singh, Member, National Commission on Farmers.

"Hybrid cotton seeds accounts for about 85-90 per cent of total area under cotton cultivation in Punjab. Out of that, some 90 per cent are Bt hybrids. From those Bt hybrids, about 60 per cent are unauthorised varieties," Mr Singh said, on the sidelines of a conference held to announce the commencement of a five-day seminar on legumes research here on Monday.

The total area under cotton cultivation in Punjab is about 5,80,000 hectares, as per official estimates.

The cotton yield in Punjab is expected to be 700-800 kg of lint per hectare compared to the national average of 400 kg of lint per hectare, he added.

"The unauthorised varieties are sold at almost half the price of Bt cotton seeds," said Mr Singh. The Bt cotton varieties sold in Punjab include those of Ankur, Mahyco and Rasi seeds, he added.

According to the Union Agriculture Ministry, cotton sowing in Punjab is up 14 per cent this year, though on the national level it is down by 37,000 hectares to 85.21 lakh hectares.

The Cotton Advisory Board, a body comprising Government officials, trade and growers, has estimated the crop to be 255 lakh bales of 170 kg against 243 lakh bales during last season that ended in September.

Bt cotton is one of the main reasons for the sudden rise in the country's cotton production from around 170 lakh bales two seasons ago.

Legume meet: Meanwhile, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Director-General, Dr Mangala Rai, said the Vice-President, Mr Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, would inaugurate the 4th International Food Legumes Research Conference (IFLRC-IV) on Tuesday.

The five-day conference is being organised by the Indian Society of Genetics and Plant Breeding.

Mr Arjun Singh, Union Minister of Human Resources Development will be the guest of honour.

Some 600 scientists, including 105 foreign delegates from Australia, the US, Syria, the UK, Italy, Canada, Chile, France, Ethiopia, Morocco and Pakistan would be participating in this conference.

Food legumes such as chickpea, pigeon pea, lentil, pea, faba bean, french bean, grasspea (Lathyrus) and vigna group are important crops in the production systems of the countries in the Asian region.

India is the largest producer in the world and accounts for over 25 per cent of the world food legume production.

"IFLRC-IV will examine ways and means of ensuring that food legumes are of good quality and sufficient quantity to meet the nutritional needs of consumers at prices they can afford.

At the same time, this must not lead to land degradation but rather improve the sustainability of agriculture," said Dr Rai.

The country grows more than 14 types of food legumes. It is the largest producer of chickpea and lentils in the world.

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