Bt cotton seed will now cost more to cotton growers in Punjab and Haryana as both states have permitted hiking its prices by 8-10 per cent for the upcoming cotton sowing season.

Punjab and Haryana governments have allowed the seed manufacturing companies to raise the price of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton seed by Rs 75 per 450 gm each for Bt—I and Bt—II.

Bt—I cotton seed provides protection from American Bollworm attack, while Bt—II variety prevents attack of both bollworm and tobacco caterpillar.

The price of Bt—I variety has been increased from Rs 750 per packet of 450 gm to Rs 825 per packet. Similarly, rate of Bt—II variety has been raised from Rs 925 per packet to Rs 1,000 per packet for the new season, a senior official of Punjab Agriculture Department told PTI here on Friday.

“We have been forced to raise rates of Bt cotton seeds (in Haryana) because Punjab has already done the same,” an official of Haryana Agriculture Department said.

“Farmers are quite encouraged to bring more area under cotton this year because they fetched handsome returns in last season. Therefore they may divert some area from paddy to cotton this year,” the official added. Rates of cotton skyrocketed to Rs 7,300 per quintal against MSP of just Rs 2,850 per quintal.

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