Phenomenal success of GMO cotton in India.

[simplemind]

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Phenomenol success of Bt cotton in India makes case for GMOs in developing world
Ashok Chowgule | Swarajya | November 13, 2015

How has the cotton industry of India fared since 2002, especially since it was the year Bt Cotton cultivation started?
With Bt technology yield per hectare has increased quite significantly.
The reduction in the use of pesticides is huge. Per kg of cotton, there is a reduction of fertiliser to the extent of the increase in the yield. There is no need to apply any more fertiliser per hectare as compared to when non-Bt cotton was being produced.
Where irrigation is available, the absolute use of water per hectare would increase by 15 percent to 20 percent. Since the yield has increased by 75 percent, the per kg use of water is significantly less.
In 2002, India had a world production share of 12 percent. It is now around 25 percent, making India the largest producer of the crop in the world.
It is for the above reasons, the success of Bt cotton in India needs to be celebrated.
Given the length of time that the cotton has been grown, the fears regarding the adverse effect on health have been proved to be without any valid grounds.
The best part of GMO technology, at least in these cases, is that it is scale neutral. The small farmer gets as much benefit as the large farmer.
In the adoption, or otherwise, of the GMO technology, the opinion of the farmer should be respected. And given the whole-hearted adoption by the farmer, they have clearly given their vote to adopt the technology.
With the appropriate technology that is already available, India’s agriculture sector has a potential to play an important part of the economy of the country. The cotton farmers have shown the way.

 

[simplemind]

Bt stands for Bacillus thuringiensis - a soil bacterium which contains a toxic gene called Bt gene. The aim is to make the cotton crop resistant to bollworm. Hence through genetic engineering the gene is inserted into the cotton seed. Due to this the toxin will no more be harmful to the plant because bt gene now becomes a part of it just like other genes. Put simply, it gets adapted. Along with this, a gene responsible for high yield is chosen from another cotton variety and fused into the same seed. Finally you have a seed which is pest resistant and high yielding. Needless to say this seed grows into HYPR(High Yielding Pest Resistant) cotton crop which we popularly call Bt Cotton.

 

[Nanye Go]

Sisi pamba yetu ni ya kiwango cha juu tulibiwa, kingine bei ya pamba yetu haibadiriki hata tukitumia GMO seeds. Gharama ya mbegu za GMO kila mwaka wakati bei iko chini sidhani kama wakulima watakuelewa, bila kujali faida zingine kama as magonjwa ya mimea na wadudu waharibifu. Wamezoea mbegu bure, kitu pekee wanakatwa na vyama vya ushirika ni dawa za kunyizia, na pia wanalalamikia makato, ukiongeza hizo mbegu za GMO watakatwa watakapoona makato mengi kipato kidogo wataacha kulima ombe. Hii ingewezekana kama kilimo kingefanywa na large scale farmers na waruhusiwe kuuza pamba yao nje. Wasiporuhusiwa kuuza nje bafala yake wauze kwa vyama vya ushirika pia hawatapaya faida, pamba bora na safi lakini gharama ya uzalishaji zitazidiwa na bei za manunuzi.