The Tamil Nadu Government will not take steps to expand the spread of Bt cotton in the State, said the Chief Minister, Ms J. Jayalalithaa, in the Assembly today.
In a ‘Suo Motu’ statement she said, the decision follows concerns expressed by some of the members over Bt cotton. In the budget presented on August 4, the State Government had mentioned that a range of modern technologies would be adopted in agriculture to enhance output. This included systems like SRI for paddy, sustainable sugar initiatives in sugarcane, precision farming and promotion of Bt cotton.
Bt cotton had been approved for cultivation in 2002 by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee and is being cultivated in several States. Farmers in Tamil Nadu were also purchasing the seeds from the private sector and were cultivating the crop for the higher profit it gives.
However, the members and farmers had represented that Bt cotton should not be encouraged at the government level. They had expressed concerns on the genetically modified crop and the lack of assured returns. Therefore, the government will not take any measure to spread Bt cotton, she said.