The Bangladesh government has made a move to introduce genetically modified (GM) cotton varieties to farmers in the country. The seeds will be directly imported from Indian seed producer Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company (Mahyco) or other companies from China. “We have already talked to Mahyco and they agreed to provide us an ample supply as per our requirements,” said Abdul Latif, executive director of Cotton Development Board (CDB). The CDB says that the Bt variety will increase the yield of cotton, as it is highly capable of preventing “American Bollworm,” one of the biggest threats to cotton.
The government also recently approved ‘confined trials’ for two other GM crop varieties – golden rice and potato and released four brinjal varieties for demonstration last month.
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