Pakistan
December 15, 2008
Source:
Daily Dawn via
Pakistan Biotechnology
Information Center (PABIC)
By Nasir Jamal
Cotton is vital for Pakistan’s economy. It is an important
source of livelihood for millions, and provides raw material for
the textile industry -- the largest employer of non-farm labour
and the biggest foreign exchange earner.
In spite of its importance, successive governments have failed
to invest in research and development to enhance cotton crop
yield, lowest in the region. Even with the increase in
cultivated area under cotton, our annual output continues to
hover around 11-12 million bales -- almost 75 per cent of total
consumption needs of the spinning sector.
The industry has been importing two million or more bales of
lint every year for some years now to meet its requirements. Nor
much has done to improve the quality of cotton or reduce the
level of contamination in it.
The challenge is to raise the stagnant cotton production. The
issues constraining cotton output include higher intensity of
insects and pests attack, shortage of irrigation water, high
fuel prices, shortages of good quality and varieties of seeds.
The projected targets for cotton yields are not being met due to
continuing crop losses mainly because of pest attacks,
especially by cotton lead curl virus.
So shouldn’t the government be encouraging cultivation of BT
cotton -high yield and pest resistant variety? Is biotechnology
really an answer to our cotton problem? Every one in the cot ton
value chain agrees that BT cotton can help us in more than one
ways to overcome our cotton woes.
As the experience in several other countries shows BT cotton has
many advantages. India, for example, has more than doubled its
output to 31 million bales from 14 million bales in 2002 when it
cultivated BT cotton for the first time. Now BT cotton is sown
on 75 per cent acreage under cotton. China’s story isn’t much
different and growers in both the countries have been
experiencing sudden and significant jump in their per acre
production and profits.
BT cotton was grown in nine countries in 2007 among which China,
India and Brazil planted the largest areas.
Unofficially, the farmers in Pakistan too have been trying to
grow BT cotton for some years now.
“At least 60 per cent of cotton sown this year was BT cotton,”
says Ibrahim Mughal, chairman of AgriForum Pakistan.
But the shift has failed to increase per acre cotton output. “BT
cotton doesn’t yield results in harsh weather conditions as
exist in our traditional cotton growing areas like South Punjab.
It also doesn’t work against CLCV and mealy bug,” Mughal argues.
“It requires mild weather and more water. That means if we
encourage it our crop pattern will be affected and we will be
able to obtain only one crop as BT cotton has to be sown in
Feb-March for better results.” But Monsanto, the world leader in
BT cotton, blames use of spurious BT cotton seed for lower than
expected output per acre.
“The pirated varieties are not developed for Pakistan’s
agronomic conditions and do not perform well, especial ly
against mealy bugs and CLCV. Second, the farmers do not realise
that they are purchasing poor quality BT seeds, but they reduce
insecticide spraying - - raising the risk of increased pest
damage, particularly later in the season. Raw material from
unapproved BT varieties results in reduced quality cotton,” a
company official says.
“Majority of cotton farmers are using authentic Bollgard and
Bollgard II cotton technologies in India, China, Australia and
the US where other BT cotton technologies have been introduced
and this clearly demonstrates the preference of growers based on
benefits realised by them.” The government has already initiated
negotiations with Monsanto for in troducing bioengineered cotton
seeds. But, as Mirza Ikhtiar Beg, prime minister’s advisor on
textiles, recently wrote in a newspaper that the company is
asking its fee of $21 per acre.
“If BT cotton is cultivated on eight million acres, we would
have to pay $1 billion in royalty fee to Monsanto,” he wrote.
Though Monsanto officials are not prepared to say anything on
record regarding their negotiations with the government or their
proposal, they say the company “only wants its share in the
savings in costs along the cotton value chain in return for
providing bioengineered -- Bollgard II -- to the farmers.” The
company says it has so far not determined the exact size of its
fee or royalty, but acknowledges that it has to be more than in
India -- where farmers are using hybrid seeds -- because the
Pakistani authorities are asking for marketing “variety seeds”
that can be used for four to five years. Hybrid seeds are used
only for one crop.
“We are proposing that both hybrid and variety seeds be used in
Pakistan simultaneously. Also we want that variety seeds are
ultimately replaced with hybrid ones, which have more vigour,” a
senior Monsanto official, who refused to give his name, told
Dawn. Another reason for Monsanto asking higher royalty on its
technology is the fear that it could be stolen and pirated.
Moreover, the anonymous senior Monsanto official argues that
bioengineered seeds help farmers save huge cost on pesticides to
protect the crop and prevent decline in yield.
The cultivation of BT cotton results in cost benefits to the
growers in its host countries as well as protects the
environment.
“The use of biotech crops has significantly reduced pesticide
usage while increasing yields. It helps in reducing crop losses
as the plant is less prone to disease like Bollgard and curl
leaf virus. (BT) Cotton can protect against Boll worms and may
reduce the current losses by half. Other measures like herbicide
sprays can further reduce the losses due to weeds.
“A number of studies by public institutions have demonstrated
that on an average, farmers growing BT cotton in India who had
reduced expenditures on insecticides, obtained greater yields,
and received an average increase in profit ranging from $76-$250
per hectare,” he says.
BT cotton has proven resistance against certain pests like
bollworm and sucking complex, most farmers say. That means it
requires fewer crop protection sprays than the local cotton.
“The farmers spend Rs60-63 billion annually on pesticide sprays
to protect their cotton crop and, thus, also lose their
competitive edge to Indian growers who have already switched
over to BT cotton,” the anonymous Monsanto official insisted.
He said total pesticide sprays on one acre cost about
Rs11250-12500 in case severe pest attack. In normal pest
infection, the price falls even further.
In Punjab, for example, the per acre cost of farmers on account
of insecticide sprays is estimated to substantially fall down to
Rs2250-3750, resulting in cost benefits of Rs8750-Rs9000.
“This amounts to total savings of Rs60-63 billion on 7.25
million acres of cotton area,” the official said.
Mughal who acknowledges that the cultivation of BT cotton halves
the grower’s costs relating to crop protection sprays to Rs1500,
disputes the technology provider’s estimates about the per acre
cost of pesticides use.
“Crop protection sprays cost around Rs3000 per acre to the
farmers during the entire life of the crop,” he claims.
But agriculture ministry officials insist that the cotton output
could be raised to 19 million bales by switching over to BT
cotton. In addition to increasing the profitability of the
growers, they say, it would save money on import of pesticides
and insecticides, improve the quality of the fibre and protect
the environment. “You can well imagine the benefits to the
economy, growers and industry and exports by going for BT
cotton,” said an official.
Source:
Daily Dawn via
Pakistan Biotechnology
Information Center (PABIC)
By Nasir Jamal |
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