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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Illegal cotton seeds sales surge in Maharashtra, other states -Sayantan Bera

Illegal cotton seeds sales surge in Maharashtra, other states -Sayantan Bera

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published Published on Jun 15, 2018   modified Modified on Jun 15, 2018
-Livemint.com

Soaring sales of herbicide tolerant, genetically modified cotton seeds put farmers across states at risk

New Delhi:
Regulatory failure has led to a surge in sales of unapproved herbicide tolerant (HT) genetically modified (GM) cotton seed packets in the ongoing Kharif planting season, putting thousands of farmers at risk across states such as Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.

The regulatory failure has been precipitated by the fact that the genetic engineering approval committee (GEAC) of the environment ministry, the agency tasked to decide on commercialization of GM crops, is awaiting the final report of an expert committee set up by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in October last year.

The panel has suggested stringent measures to check the menace by “raiding premises of companies hoarding illegal seeds” and “destroying all HT cotton seeds confiscated by state authorities before Kharif 2018”, according to a draft of the recommendations of the Field Inspection and Scientific Evaluation Committee (FISEC) under the department of biotechnology, reviewed by Mint.

The committee also recommended taking “measures to stop the sale and use of glyphosate (herbicide used to kill weeds in HT cotton fields) immediately” and the constitution of “an inter-ministerial committee of experts, including (those from the) ministry of health and the Indian Council of Medical Research, to review the safety of glyphosate and other herbicides”. However, the committee is yet to submit its final report to the PMO, while the seed sales will be over in less than a month in the ongoing Kharif crop season.“Last year, sales of illegal HT cotton seeds were estimated at 3.5 million packets and this year it is likely to cross 6 million packets,” said a senior seed industry official who asked to remain unnamed. “Most of the 46 companies producing GM cotton seeds in India are indulging in illegal seed production and sale,” the person said. “Farmers evidently like this new technology so governments are unwilling to act, worried about the political fallout ahead of general elections next year,” the official said.

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Livemint.com, 13 June, 2018, https://www.livemint.com/Politics/rceGzV27jdJ81j6gx3IfPM/Illegal-cotton-seeds-sales-surge-in-Maharashtra-other-state.html
 

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