India may go for ‘refuge in the bag' for Bt cotton

While biotechnology is revolutionising world agriculture and farmers in over two dozen countries have benefited from it, in developing a regulatory framework, careful thought must be given to defining a uniform standard of safety and in creating an enabling environment for local developers, particularly those in small and medium enterprises and the public sector, according to Dr Rashmi Nair, Director - Emerging Markets, Regulatory Policy and Scientific Affairs, Monsanto Company.

Addressing a group of presspersons, industry representatives and farmers from India, she said a functional regulatory system should be science-based, clear in processes and requirements, workable, predictable, transparent and adaptable. The compliance costs for insect-resistant maize are estimated at anything between $7 million and $15 million, she pointed out.

Talking specifically about maize in India, she said the rapidly expanding demand for the crop from users across poultry, livestock and starch industries will have to be matched by rapid expansion in production. Suggesting that innovation can drive growth, she said adoption of high-yielding hybrids, introduction of technology and agronomic practices will have a positive impact. For the record, in 2010-11, India harvested 21.3 million tonnes of maize, a new high and sharp rebound from weather-hit 16.7 million tonnes of the previous year. Interestingly, States with higher hybridisation have registered higher yields.

Dr Nair referred to the success story of Bt cotton in India and remarked that while refuge area (area specified for non-transgenic crop) was important, growers in the country did not allow refuge fearing loss of area and profits. Clearly, refuge is a regulatory issue; and the new refuge area is down to 5 per cent from the earlier 20 per cent. Monsanto Company has recommended the new system of ‘refuge in the bag' which is that non-transgenic seeds to the extent of five per cent are mixed in the bag containing transgenic seeds and therefore, the farmer need not specifically earmark a separate area for refuge. It was hinted that the Central Institute of Cotton Research at Nagpur has accepted the refuge in the bag recommendation for Bt cotton.

COMMENT NOW