Key Points
Right now we arevery focused on getting the BG-II RRF approved by the GEAC, and the application was resubmitted in December 2021..
. Indias cotton output has seen a sharp spike since the use of Bollgard-I, the first GM crop in 2002, followed by Bollgard II, a pest-resistant variety, in 2006..
D Narain, president, South Asia and global head of smallholder-farming, Bayer, spoke to Sandip Das, on the uses of bio-technology in boosting farmers income...
Specifically for cotton, I would say that while the biotech piece is stalling (as the companys herbicide-tolerant cotton variety Bollgard II roundup ready BG-II RRF is yet to get regulatory approval), you have to look at it as an integrated crop system..
The same thing is happening in Africa, especially if you look at cotton.I believe the Indian government has a very strong intent (to encourage use of biotech to further agri output and farmers incomes), given the way they are going ahead with gene-editing guidelines (standard operating procedures were issued last year for R&D of certain types of genome edited plants, which is expected to accelerate genetic improvement of crops in the country)...
