Illegal HT cotton seeds make deep inroads into agriculture markets, hits legal traders

Time of India

2 days ago

Nagpur: The prohibited herbicide-tolerant (HT) seeds — genetically engineered to survive toxic weed killers — have made deep inroads into the market, and it may end up leaving a major dent in the legal trade of BG2 cotton seeds this sowing season, say dealers in agricultural inputs.
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Farmers are buying the HT seed at nearly double the price at which the legitimate BG2 cotton is available, said sources. Farmers told TOI that HT seeds are being sold for as much as Rs1,200 to 1,500 a packet, whereas the permitted BG2 seeds are being sold for Rs850. Rates of the latter are fixed by the govt.
CD Mayee, former director of Central Institute of Cotton Research, said at least 30% of the area under cotton is expected to have HT cotton.
HT seeds were developed by multinational agriculture giant Monsanto in alliance with the Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company (Mahyco). It has an additional gene that can survive even if weed-killers (herbicides) are used. It does away with the need for manually clearing farms of weeds before and after sowing. Just spraying glyphosate-based herbicide helps, as the weeds are killed and the HT cotton survives. The BG2 cotton is only resistant to the bollworm pest.
However, the variety could not get formal approval from the govt as the trials were stopped midway by the Mahyco-Monsanto combine. Yet, as the seeds were pilfered, Gujarat emerged as the hub for illegal cultivation, said sources.
Pankaj Bothra, a dealer in Yavatmal, said traders have to book their quota of cotton seeds by paying in advance. There are chances that many may not be able to even recover their costs due to the rampant sale of HT seeds.
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There are chances that some may even ask for a refund from seed companies due to substantial stock remaining unsold.
Sharad Chandak of Nagpur Agro Dealers Association also acknowledged that HT seeds are hitting their business. Farmers are preferring the HT seeds, which the peddlers claim have dual protection covering both pests and herbicides. In fact, the grey market dealers start operations much before the official sales are allowed.
The govt does not allow the sale of cotton seeds before June 15, a source said.
Sources said the packets are transported in passenger buses from Gujarat, with dealers bringing small quantities to avoid detection. In a recent trend, loose seeds are brought to Vidarbha and then packed by local agents. So far, the agriculture department has seized 1,800 packets and over 1.7 tonnes of loose HT seeds in Nagpur division. Farmers say this is just the tip of the iceberg.
The real action must happen in Gujarat — where the source lies.
Meanwhile, even as BG2 seeds sales are down, dealers are also stocking glyphosate-based weed killers anticipating demand due to the HT seeds. Legally, glyphosate cannot be used in cropped areas but it is easily available in stores, said sources.