HTBT cotton

Why in news?

• A report recently pointed out that Cultivation of herbicide-tolerant Bt (HTBT) cotton, which are not authorized by the Union government, is catching up across the country.

What is HTBT cotton?

• HTBT cotton is a genetically modified, herbicide-tolerant variety of Bt cotton.
• Unlike Bt cotton, the cultivation of HTBT cotton is illegal in India.
• It is estimated that in 2017, as much as 15 per cent of area under cotton was planted with unapproved HTBT seeds.
• Sale, storage, transportation and usage of unapproved GM seeds is a punishable offence under the Rules of Environmental Protection Act 1989.
• The sale of unapproved seeds can also attract action under the Seed Act of 1966 and the Cotton Act of 1957.

Why is it used ?

• HTBT variety can withstand the spray of glyphosate, a herbicide that is used to remove weeds.
• This reduces need for manual de-weeding and thus reduces labour costs for farmers.

What is the impact of illegal use?

• Use of chemical herbicides like glyphosate can affect the ecology of the area being used.
• In 2018, HTBT cotton was blamed for the inhalation deaths of farmers in Vidharbha region.
• The farmers inhaled pesticides while spraying the cotton plants that had grown unnaturally tall and grew close to each other and trapped the pesticide which they inhaled.

About Bt Cotton:

• Bt cotton is an insect-resistant transgenic crop designed to combat the bollworm.
• It was created by genetically altering the cotton genome to express a microbial protein from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis.
• Developed by US giant Bayer-Monsanto, Bt cotton remains the only GM crop allowed to be cultivated in the country.

Prelims Question

Consider the following statements regarding Herbicide tolerant Bt (HTBT) cotton:
1.Cultivation of Herbicide tolerant Bt (HTBT) cotton is banned in India.
2.Use of HTBT cotton increases labor costs for farmers drastically.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to the Prelims Question