Bt cotton yields no different from non Bt

[Guest guest]

In The Financial Express, India, June 11, 2004

 

 

1. Bt Cotton Performance No Different From Non-Bt Cotton, Says Govt

 

 

`No Difference Between Bt, Non-Bt Cotton Output'

 

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=61105

 

ASHOK B SHARMA

Our Policy Bureau

New Delhi, June 10

 

Experts have said that there is no difference in the performance of the

Bt cotton and non-Bt cotton in the 2003 season.

 

They expressed concern over the low budgetary allocation to agriculture

and rural sector.

 

Addressing the national round table on `Farmers' Issue and Agriculture

Policies', organised by the Centre for Agriculture and Rural Development

(CARD) in Capital, the Union tourism minister, Renuka Chaudhary hit out hard

at the unnecessary hype generated about the performance of Bt cotton.

 

Ms Chaudhary said "in Andhra Pradesh both Bt cotton and non-Bt cotton

have equally performed well in 2003 season. There is unnecessary confusion

all

around. Both non-Bt and Bt seeds have given similar yields in plots at my

native place. At times it is difficult to differentiate between the two".

 

She appealed to the experts to come foreward and demystify the confusion

over Bt cotton issue. Other MPs present at the round table discussions

supported Ms Choudhary's views.

 

Ms Choudhary also hit out at the functioning of the crop insurance scheme

and expressed concern over massive supplies of spurious seeds, fertilisers

and pesticides, leading to large scale damage to crops and huge losses to

the farmers. She also criticised the farm insurance scheme, saying that to

have a `mandal' as the unit of operation was a faulty decision. Unless the

entire mandal is declared drought hit, farmers are not eligible for

compensation, leading to a peculiar situation where an affected village has

to hope and pray for similar damages in other villages of the mandal as

well.

 

It is only if crops failed in majority of the villages of a mandal that

the compensation will be given, she said adding despite 921 mandals being

declared drought affected relief under the crop insurance scheme was nowhere

in sight.

 

The former Union agriculture minister, Chaturanan Mishra called for

developing micro-economic indicators for assessing the poverty alliviation

in the lower rungs of the society.

 

Several experts were unhappy over the meagre budget allocation on

agriculture. They demanded increase in budgetary allocation for agriculture

to not only improve the lot of the farmers but also make it an attractive

profession for the youth of the country.

 

MPs including Ravi Verma from Lakhimpur and Ilyas Azmi of Shahabad

promised to raise the issue in Parliament as the budgetary allocation,

static around

Rs 7,000 crore over the years for plan expenditure, was quite meagre.