Bt Cotton Seed

India has already allowed commercial use of BG-1 and BG-2 GM cotton while the approval for the BG-2 RRF has been pending at various stages. Field trials are likely for North Zone

The Indian BT seed market is worth over Rs 3,500 crore a year

A Rs 450-crore market for unapproved GM cotton seeds has emerged in the country

Last week, the Maharashtra government suspended the licence of 17 companies for sale of genetically modified (Bt) cotton seed, because samples of refugia or non-Bt hybrids, taken in May-July of 2016, have apparently shown the presence of Bt seed.The companies, among which is Monsanto-Mahyco, meet at least 70 per cent of the Bt cotton seed requirement in the state. The total sale of such seeds in the state is estimated at 10 million packets a year of 450g each, amounting to Rs.800 crore. Mahyco Monsanto Biotech (India) is a 50:50 joint venture between Mahyco and multinational Monsanto Holdings. The order was issued by the Director of Agriculture (I & QC), commissionerate of agriculture, Pune.All the seed companies have contested the report, from the Government Seed Testing Laboratory, and have asked that the samples go to the Referral Laboratory as notified under the Act in question. Which would be the Central Institute of Cotton Research, Nagpur.They say the government ignored ..

The Centre has kept the prices of genetically modified (Bt) cotton seeds for 2017-18 unchanged at Rs 800 per 450g packet. The 'trait value' (fee charged by seed research companies from license holders) has also been retained at Rs 49, which includes all taxes.The Centre sets both rates. Bt cotton seed prices were first lowered last year by a constituted under the Cotton Seeds Price Control Order in December 2015. The panel had brought down the price to Rs 800 a packet from Rs 830-1,030 earlier; trait value was lowered about 70 per cent, from Rs 163 a packet.The move was followed by a draft guideline issued in May 2016 which capped the trait value at 10 per cent of the seed sale price and thereafter lowered it periodically. The move created much criticism from multinational seed companies. Monsanto, which had a joint venture in this rfegard with Mahyco (Mahyco Monsanto Biotech or MMB), said it would "re-evaluate" all its businesses in the country; it took the biggest hit. It had also ..