BT Cotton gets green signal

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New Delhi, May 18: The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) after getting green signal from the Supreme Court approved commercial cultivation of 53 Bt cotton in the current season. It also approved largescale field trials of 59 Bt cotton hybrids.

It withheld the approval of genetically modified (GM) food crops and constituted an expert panel headed by the director of Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR), BM Khadi to study the implications of the apex court order. It clarified seed production can be taken up in the areas of field trial, subject to the restriction of the quantity. In the current kharif (summer) season 18 new Bt cotton hybrids will be cultivated by farmers in north India. Among these are 13 hybrids with cry 1 Ac gene and MON 531 event, 4 hybrids expressing stacked genes (cry 1 Ac + cry 2 Ab MON 15985 event) and one hybrid expressing cry 1 Ac and Event 1 ¿ JKCH 1050 Bt ¿ developed by JK Agri.

In the central parts of the country, 35 new Bt cotton hybrids will be cultivated by farmers in this season. These include, 23 hybrids with cry 1 Ac gene and MON 531 event, 5 hybrids with stacked genes (cry 1 Ac + cry 1 Ab MON 15985), 4 hybrids expressing GFM event with cry 1 Ab + cry 1 Ac genes and 3 hybrids expressing cry 1 Ac gene with Event 1.

The GEAC in its 76th meeting following the apex court verdict also renewed its permission for commercial cultivation of Mech-12 Bt in central India and Mech-184 Bt for both central and south India. Mech-12 Bt and Mech-184 Bt are developed by Mahyco-Monsanto and were suspended from cultivation in 2005 on account of its reported failure.