Mahyco moves High Court questioning ban on Bt cotton seeds
- A Government Order (GO) from Karnataka Government banned Bt cotton hybrid seeds from Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company Ltd. (Mahyco) & blacklisted it. The reasons for the same are :
- failure of Bt. cotton crops (hybrid MRC-7351 and Nikki Plus) in 7 districts
- 54157 farmers who grew Bt.cotton in 58195 hectares suffered yield loss exceeding 50%
- Mahyco neither conducted awareness camps nor training for the effective management of pests & diseases (in violation of GoI order)
- Mahyco defended itself at the High Court contending that :
- Sec 14 (1)(e) of Seed Act 1966 did not apply to MRC-7351 & Nikki Plus as they are not notified kind or variety of seeds
- there was no seizure or collection of samples
- no sample was analysed before banning the seeds
- crop failure was due to environmental reasons (continuous rains) & new pests (like mirid bugs & midges)
- use of duplicate seeds marketed by other companies
- no opportunity for hearing was given
- Rs.10 crore token support has been given to farmers who suffered.
Exams Perspective:
- Bt. Cotton
- Positives & Negatives of Bt crops
- New Seeds Bill
- Hybrid Varieties