Bangladesh holds Bt cotton field trials

Hyderabad-based mostly JK Agri Genetics Ltd, an arm of the JK Organisation, is collaborating with the Bangladesh governing administration to maintain area trials of genetically-modified cotton in the neighbouring region.

“The Bangladesh governing administration is conducting the area trials, which have been accomplished for the initially year. The final results are excellent. Subject trials will be held for the next year this yr sometime among April and November,” stated Gyanendra Shukla, President and Director of JK Agri Genetics, greater commonly acknowledged as JK Seeds.

The US Office of Agriculture (USDA), in a note on the Bangladesh growth, stated that Dhaka’s Cotton Growth Board (CDB) started trials of the genetically-modified or bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton with two varieties — JKCH 1947 Bt and JKCH 1950 Bt — which can resist bollworm and Drop armyworm in the plant.

According to the USDA, the CDB attained the Bt cotton varieties below the product transfer agreement from JK Seeds, an erstwhile division of JK Tyres and Industries Ltd.

“Though the initially year trials gave excellent final results, more trials want to be carried out. After the Bangladesh governing administration is satisfied with the final results, it will commence the deregulation approach whereby farmers will be permitted to cultivate the Bt wide variety,” stated Shukla. The CDB accomplished the greenhouse trial of the cotton varieties properly on March 4 previous yr, and it got the permission of Bangladesh’s National Committee on Biosafety Clearance to begin confined area trials for the latest crop yr (August 2020-July 2021), the USDA stated.

Increasing output

“We are carrying out nothing on our have. Nor are we engaged in any business action in Bangladesh,” the JK Seeds President stated, hinting that the Sheikh Hasina Wajed governing administration is independently managing these routines, whilst his corporation is collaborating.

Bangladesh’s objective at the rear of these trials is to produce “efficient genetically-modified cotton” as part of its efforts to enhance cotton manufacturing. Presently, it fulfills about twenty five for every cent of its raw cotton demands by imports from India.

The USDA has pegged Bangladesh’s 2020-21 crop at one.86 lakh bales (of a hundred and seventy kg) on forty six,000 hectares.