Ashok B. Sharma
The Financial Express via Agnet April 6/04 - II

India’s regulatory authority for transgenic products, Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has approved yet another Bt transgenic cotton, RCH 2 for commercial cultivation in the central and southern parts of the country.

RCH 2 is developed by Rasi Seeds, a sub-licencee of the US multinational, Monsanto. RCH 2 becomes the fourth Bt cotton seed variety to be released for commercial cultivation after Bt Mech 12, Bt Mech 162 and Bt Mech 184 varieties developed by Monsanto in collaboration with with its Indian partner, Machyco was approved in March 2002.

The GEAC, in its recent meeting, also gave permission to Rassi Seeds to conduct large-scale field trials for its transgenic cotton varieties developed for cultivation in the northern part of the country, namely Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.

At present, there is no approved Bt cotton varieties for commercial cultivation in north India. Last year Monsanto-Mahyco asked for the approval of a Bt variety for commercial cultivation in north India, but the proposal was turned down by the GEAC as the variety in question was susceptible to the deadly leaf curl virus.

“We have given conditional approval for commercial cultivation of Bt cotton seed, RCH 2 in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for a period of three years. Like other three varieties of Bt cotton approved earlier, the performance of RCH 2 would be reviewed within three years for further extension of the approval, said the GEAC chairperson, Bina Chotray.

The three approved Bt cotton varieties developed by Monsanto in collaboration with Mahyco, namely Bt Mech 12, Bt Mech 162 and Bt Mech 184 are grown in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. According to government estimates the area coverage under Bt cotton is still negligible being only 92,000 hectare out the total of over 9 million hectare under cotton crop.

In 2002-03, the first year of its approval for commercial cultivation, Bt cotton covered an area of only 38,038 hectare area representing 0.51 per cent of the area under cotton in the period. In 2003-04 with good monsoon rains the area under Bt cotton increased to 92,000 hectare.

The southern and central parts of the country have the major cotton producing areas, accounting for over 7.29 million hectare out of the total area of 9.10 million hectare.

The Bt cotton varieties, having the trans gene, Bacillus thuringiensis, are claimed to be resistant to the deadly American Bollworm which occurs on cotton. But a recent study done by Dr K Chandrasekar and Dr GT Gujar has found that the bollworm develops “31-fold resistance to the toxin “cry1ac” within six generations. The bollworms also developed cross-resistance to two more toxins called “cry1aa” and “cry1ab.” This shows that Bt cotton can be resistant to American Bollworm for a maximum period of six years.