Cotton merry?

DEAD CERT: With most farmers buying/borrowing seeds off friends, uncertified seeds rule the day. 8216;8216;If one farmer has good results with uncertified seeds, the rest of us generally follow him,8217;8217; says Ravi Brar, a farmer near Abohar. 8216;8216;Also, the uncertified seed costs Rs 400-700/kg, Monsanto costs Rs 1000-1200/kg.8217;8217;

GROWING PAINS: Refuge cultivation8212;it is mandatory for all Bt crops to be surrounded by at least five rows of non-Bt8212;is virtually unheard-of. 8216;8216;I have 150 acres of Bt and 100 acres of non-Bt, which automatically works as refuge,8217;8217; says Sanjiv Godhra, a large farmer based in the village of Sittu Gunnu, Abohar. Certified Bt comes with non-Bt forms of the same variety and instructions for cultivation.

THE DEFENCE RESTS: 8216;8216;The need for monitoring arises now. I have formed three teams to cover the seven districts,8217;8217; says B S Sidhu, state director, agriculture. 8216;8216;So far as the uncertified seeds go, we have registered 16 such cases. But farmer-to-farmer sales cannot be prohibited.8217;8217;

With prices not distinguishing between Bt and non-Bt crops, at the moment environmentalists are the only ones worried about the impact of biotransgenic residue on soil that, in a matter of weeks, will grow wheat.