Former State Minister and cotton farmers' campaigner, Sanat Mehta has advocated the use of Swadeshi Bt cotton in the wake of Prime Minister's unhappiness over the death of farmers in Vidarbha region and Andhra Pradesh.
He has appealed to PM to legalise Swadeshi Bt cotton seeds which are the reason for resounding success of Gujarat. Regrettably, Ministry of Environment and Forests has termed the seed as illegal.
Mehta goes on to add that farmers in Gujarat have been able to save up to Rs250 crore in costs as these seeds cost half compared to Mahyco Monsanto variety. They save another Rs350 crore as they do not use pesticides since Shankar-6 is good in bollworm resistance.
He has requested the PM to provide ample subsidy to farmers of Vidarbha region so that they can buy seeds at a reasonable price. He also suggested measures like improving ginning and pressing capacity which will help in improving the situation.
marketing@alchempro.com
