Ifs and Bt: Andhra is the loose end

The three still-barred varieties containing the CRY 1-AC gene were provisionally introduced three years ago in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka with the caveat that they would be reviewed in 2005 for commercial cultivation.

Four of the six states that went into trial with hybrids developed by the Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company (Mahyco) are yet to submit reports on the performance of the seeds.

While the Tamil Nadu government, in its report, said it was willing to go ahead with the commercial cultivation of the hybrids, Andhra Pradesh said that it was not in favour of clearing the hybrids for commercial cultivation. It said that the breeds needed to be examined further and subjected to more trials.

Greenpeace, the global environmental organisation which has been campaigning actively against Bt cotton, said in its 10-minute presentation that the crop had failed in Madhya Pradesh. ‘‘Farmers in Madhya Pradesh are suffering after the failure of their crops,’’ a Greenpeace activist said, demanding that the basis of decisions on Bt cotton be made public.

This is the second time that the GEAC has deferred decision on commercial cultivation of these three hybrids. On March 4, it had held back its opinion on these varieties while clearing six Bt hybrids—two each from Mahyco, Rasi and Ankur—for cultivation in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

Yesterday, it cleared Rasi Seeds’ RCH 138 BT for commercial use, while putting up the other three varieties for further trials.

The battle lines have been clearly drawn in the Bt Cotton movement. While organisations like Greenpeace and Gene Campaign maintain that the Bt crop has performed badly and that it is actually proving to be more expensive for farmers, Mahyco and Monsanto—the two principal hybrid seed companies with a stake in India’s Bt future—claim a drop in pest and insect attacks and insist it is a cheaper crop to cultivate.

‘‘We had commissioned a survey from IMRB, and are very encouraged by their report. We found different degrees of benefit at different levels,’’ said Ranjana Smetacek, director of corporate affairs at Monsanto.

In March 2002, Mahyco had introduced the three hybrids containing the CRY 1 AC gene. The company, in collaboration with Monsanto, recently released a survey of 3,199 farmers in the six states and concluded that their hybrids produced 58 per cent higher average yield, translating into higher profits for farmers. All the claims, however, are disputed by the other side.