A flourishing illegal trade in a new unapproved herbicide-tolerant variety has come to occupy nearly a fifth of the genetically modified (GM) cotton seeds market in India. Over three dozen seed companies, which are authorised to sell the transgenic Bt cotton by licence-holder Bayer Crop Science-Mahyco, warn that the illegal seeds, first seen in the market in 2019, could contaminate the regular Bt seed and lead to “heavy losses” for cotton growers. However, farmers’ organisations say since the unapproved seeds help them in weed management and cut costs, they would continue to use it.
The illegal seed manufacturers, who are mostly based out of Gujarat, claim the presence of herbicide trait in the seeds they sell are capable of controlling pink bollworm. Farmers also seem to endorse this claim from their cropping experience.
Anil Ghanwat, president of Swatantra Bharat Party, and a member of the Supreme Court-appointed committee on farm law, said that farmers would continue to use unapproved seeds as it helps them increase production. “The government should facilitate faster approval of newly-developed seeds so that farmers get access to quality seeds and thereby, reduce the labour cost,” Ghanwat said.
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