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With Islamabad opening up its doors to genetically-modified Bt cotton, Indian agri-firms are making a beeline for Pakistan with their Bt cotton hybrids hoping to replicate the same success story, achieved in India in the last decade.
After Pakistan approved commercial release of eight insect-resistant Bt cotton varieties and one hybrid in 2010 khariff season, Hyderabad-based Bioseed Research India Ltd approached the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee to export 15 hybrids to Lahore-based Monsanto Pakistan Agritech Pvt Ltd for multi-location field trial, which would be a mandatory step before commercialisation.
The GEAC approved Bioseeds export proposal on September 29 permitting the company to send its BG-II hybrids with two genes. Within months, the panel was inundated by similar requests from many other Bt cotton companies willing to explore the new market.
Faced with a large number of requests from domestic Bt companies, the apex panel ruled that exporters did not need approval from GEAC at all to export the Bt cotton hybrids as they are intended for research and field testing.
The firms would require approval of the Competent Authority of the importing country and permission from the National Biodiversity Authority, Chennai as per the provision of Biological Diversity Act of 2002.
Other Indian companies exploring the Pakistan market include Monsanto India, Nath Seeds, JK Agro Genetics and Bayer. They may have to carry out one-two years of field trials before commercialisation, sources said.
Impressive story
Islamabad was impressed with the Indian success in Bt cotton, which began in 2002 with one company receiving green signal for its three hybrids. Within 10 years, the number of hybrids swollen up to 780 produced by 35 companies.
India cultivated Bt cotton in 9.4 million hectares of land in 2010, which is about 86 per cent of total 11 million ha cotton crop in the country. The growth from 50,000 ha of Bt cotton in 2002 to 9.4 million ha in 2010 represents an 188-fold increase.
Consequently, India enhanced its farm income from Bt cotton by $ 7 billion between 2002 and 2009, says the latest GM crop status report made by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications a pro-industry think tank. Short of agriculture investment in the last two decades, Pakistan was eying at replicating the Indian success, sources said, adding Myanmar too had allowed Bt cotton cultivation in 2010.
Pakistan the fourth largest cotton producer in the world after China, India and USA grows cotton mainly in Punjab and Sindh. But neither area under cotton production nor the yield increased in the last two decades, which Islamabad wants to breach with Bt cotton.
After Pakistan approved commercial release of eight insect-resistant Bt cotton varieties and one hybrid in 2010 khariff season, Hyderabad-based Bioseed Research India Ltd approached the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee to export 15 hybrids to Lahore-based Monsanto Pakistan Agritech Pvt Ltd for multi-location field trial, which would be a mandatory step before commercialisation.
The GEAC approved Bioseeds export proposal on September 29 permitting the company to send its BG-II hybrids with two genes. Within months, the panel was inundated by similar requests from many other Bt cotton companies willing to explore the new market.
Faced with a large number of requests from domestic Bt companies, the apex panel ruled that exporters did not need approval from GEAC at all to export the Bt cotton hybrids as they are intended for research and field testing.
The firms would require approval of the Competent Authority of the importing country and permission from the National Biodiversity Authority, Chennai as per the provision of Biological Diversity Act of 2002.
Other Indian companies exploring the Pakistan market include Monsanto India, Nath Seeds, JK Agro Genetics and Bayer. They may have to carry out one-two years of field trials before commercialisation, sources said.
Impressive story
Islamabad was impressed with the Indian success in Bt cotton, which began in 2002 with one company receiving green signal for its three hybrids. Within 10 years, the number of hybrids swollen up to 780 produced by 35 companies.
India cultivated Bt cotton in 9.4 million hectares of land in 2010, which is about 86 per cent of total 11 million ha cotton crop in the country. The growth from 50,000 ha of Bt cotton in 2002 to 9.4 million ha in 2010 represents an 188-fold increase.
Consequently, India enhanced its farm income from Bt cotton by $ 7 billion between 2002 and 2009, says the latest GM crop status report made by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications a pro-industry think tank. Short of agriculture investment in the last two decades, Pakistan was eying at replicating the Indian success, sources said, adding Myanmar too had allowed Bt cotton cultivation in 2010.
Pakistan the fourth largest cotton producer in the world after China, India and USA grows cotton mainly in Punjab and Sindh. But neither area under cotton production nor the yield increased in the last two decades, which Islamabad wants to breach with Bt cotton.
