Farmers prefer growing genetically modified (GM) crops as they give a higher yield, are more disease resistant and provide more profits, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said on Tuesday. ?We are for organic farming ? there are no two ways about it. But in Bt cotton production, 86 lakh bales produced in 2002-03 when 0.38% of total area was growing the crop and it grew to 352 lakh bales in 2011-12 when 91.47% of the area produced it. The jump shows how production has grown,? he said. ?The farmers are wiser than me…It is not proper to say Bt cotton is not useful,? he said during Question Hour. Pawar pointed out that pesticide use has fallen from 46% to 21% since Bt cotton production has increased and this shows the benefit.
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