Mobility paves Samsung’s silver path
The Korean giant’s early bet on mobile phones helped it hit the $10-bn mark in India, but in its 25th year it ...
Members and supporters of Shetkari Sanghatana have been demanding withdrawal of the ban on GM crops for a long time now (file photo). Arunangsu Roy Chowdhury - Arunangsu Roy Chowdhury
Shetkari Sanghatana, a union of farmers, will usher in the new year by breaking the law. On January 5, the union members will meet at a farm near Yavatmal city and freely distribute the illegally harvested second-generation Herbicide Tolerant BT (HTBT) cotton seeds.
Illegal planting of HTBT seeds is an offence under the Environment Protection Act and the Seeds Act. The union has been spearheading a movement for faster approval of HTBT cotton seeds. In May, the union broke the law and freely distributed the seeds.
The process of illegal distribution and sale of genetically modified cotton seeds has been happening for the last three years. In late 2017, the Union Ministry of Science and Technology set up a field inspection and scientific evaluation committee to investigate illegal cultivation. It found extensive use of HTBT seeds by farmers.
The State government had also instituted a police investigation and a few cases were filed against the farmers, but the cases were not pursued. Chief of Shetkari Sanghatana’s (SS) Technology Cell Ajit Narde told BusinessLine that the SS does not have the exact statistics about the area planted with HTBT cotton.
A Central government survey said it could be 15 per cent of the total cotton planted area. In the forthcoming cotton year (commencing in May) the area could increase. It will also depend on the seed production of illegal cotton breeders, who are mostly based in Gujarat, he said.
A project report prepared by All India Coordinated Research Project on Cotton under Indian Council of Agriculture Research has said that the total area under cotton cultivation in 2018-19 was 41.19 lakh hectares.
Narde said the cotton season (2018-19) has come to end and the second-generation seeds, which almost has the same traits as the first generation HTBT are with the farmers. These seeds will be distributed again to other farmers to pressurise the Centre to legalise HTBT, he said.
Narde said that for the last 10 years the approval of HTBT seeds has been stalled for various reasons. Planting of HTBT cotton seeds has not adversely affected the environment, he added.
Weed is a major problem in cotton fields and there is a shortage of labour for manually removing the weeds in Maharashtra. Since HTBT seed is herbicide-tolerant, farmers can spray herbicides, which kill the weeds and not the cotton plants. SS studies have found one-acre manual removal of weeds cost ₹10,000 while herbicide spray costs ₹1,000, he said. Shetkari Sanghatana was founded in 1979 by former civil servant Sharad Joshi.
The Korean giant’s early bet on mobile phones helped it hit the $10-bn mark in India, but in its 25th year it ...
Antrix should adopt a different tactic than merely fighting over jurisdiction: Experts
Invest in relationships, enterprise, behaviour, effort and learning
From different types of osmoses to new membranes, researchers have come up with ways of drawing water
High valuation and stiff competition from larger players are a dampener
₹1503 • HDFC Bank S1S2R1R2COMMENT 1500148015101525 As the stock has broken out of resistance at ₹1,500, ...
The stock of Kajaria Ceramics Limited, after witnessing a fresh breakout, on Tuesday hit a fresh 52-week high ...
Will a stock continue its current trend or will it reverse? We tell you how you can read chart patterns to ...
In these isolated times when people yearn for a slice of the familiar, amateur and professional chefs are ...
Writer Narendra’s latest book, rich with vignettes from Bastar and his native village in Uttar Pradesh, ...
On the eve of his 86th birthday, a peek into an interview-based book that reveals the actor’s many moods, ...
Forget the tuna. The island nation will keep you full and happy with coconut, koftas and jasmine
Digital is becoming dominant media, but are companies and their ad agencies transforming fast enough to make a ...
Slow Network, promoted by journalist-lyricist Neelesh Misra, pushes rural products and experiences
How marketers can use the traditional exchange of festive wishes meaningfully
For Fortune, a brand celebrating its 20th anniversary, it was a rude shock to become the butt of social media ...
Three years after its inception, compliance with GST procedures remains a headache for exporters, job workers ...
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives of companies are altering the prospects for wooden toys of ...
Aequs Aerospace to create space for large-scale manufacture of toys at Koppal
And it has every reason to smile. Covid-19 has triggered a consumer shift towards branded products as ...
Please Email the Editor