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GM cotton order - bolt from the blue

Vinod Mathew

GANDHINAGAR, Oct. 19

THE Gujarat Government has been caught unawares by a Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) directive seeking the destruction of genetically modified (GM) cotton said to be grown in the cotton belt of Mehasana, Amreli, Rajkot and Bharuch districts.

While there are no exact figures available on the extent of GM cotton cultivation in the State, nearly 3,000 hectares is suspected to be under such illegal cultivation and the value of this crop may be to the tune of Rs 150 crore.

``There is no exact cap on the extent of land under GM cotton cultivation though it may be safely estimated to be not exceeding 3,000 hectares. As far as we know, this could not have happened overnight but over a couple of years. Given that the GM crop y ield would in the vicinity of 10 lakh quintals per acre as against 6-8 quintals for the standard (Shankar 6) variety, one is talking about a crop value of about Rs 150 crore,'' said Mr N.M. Sharma, Managing Director of Gujarat State Co-operative Cotton F ederation (Gujcot), the nodal agency for cotton growers in the State.

As against a support price of Rs 1,840 per quintal, it is expected that the superior GM cotton would fetch at least Rs 2,000 per quintal in the open market. But the farmers, who are awaiting a bumper crop after two lean years, may be in for a rude awaken ing if the MoEF diktat were to be carried out.

The fallout of a sting operation by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), under the MoEF a few weeks ago, is the blacklisting of the illegally sourced and grown GM cotton which is already causing an uproar in the State Agriculture Ministry. While the Gujarat Agriculture Minister, Mr Purshottam Rupala, was not available for comment the top brass in the department were trying to come to terms with the MoEF directive seeking the destruction of the illegally grown cotton.

Mr A.W.P. David, Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture, Government of Gujarat, said he was still awaiting a formal directive in this regard from the Centre. He, however, cited the absence of any legislation for tracking down the movement of the seed fr om its source of inception to the fields of use and then through the harvesting stage to the farm gate. Nevertheless, it is understood that the State Government has sought clarification from the Centre regarding any provisions under the Biotechnology Dep artment to combat illegal sourcing of cotton seed.

The GEAC, which had identified the Ahmedabad-based Navbharat Seeds Ltd as the supplier of the illegally sourced GM seeds, has already asked the company to destroy the crop and compensate the farmers. The company officials were not available for comment, though it is understood that the GEAC has given it time till October 31 to clarify its position.

Gujarat accounts for some 40 lakh bales (170 kg) of cotton from about 45 lakh acres. The unearthing of the illegally grown cotton comes at a crucial juncture as the Centre was gearing up to allow the commercial use of GM seeds in the near future. Accordi ng to the State Agriculture Ministry sources, Gujarat Government would surely contest the decision to destroy the GM crop as it would adversely impact thousands of cotton growers in the State.