Seed makers worry over illegal Bt cotton usage
February 26, 2021
Bt-3, the third generation bio-technology product gives the cotton plant ability to withstand herbicide sprays - S HARPALSINGH
Bt-3, the third generation bio-technology product gives the cotton plant ability to withstand herbicide sprays - S HARPALSINGH×
Fear unauthorised Bt-3 cultivation may increase 10-15% during next kharif season
Fears over farmers cultivating unauthorised and illegal genetically-modified cottonseed called Bollgard-III or ‘Bt-3’, haunts the seed industry and farmers leaders as cottonseed units gear up for the Kharif season starting June.
Industry sources said that the illegal seeds could comprise 10-15 per cent of the total cottonseed area in the country during the next kharif. “It was a bit lower last year but on good demand, they might swarm the market with huge volumes,” a top executive of a seed company, on the condition of anonymity, told