The All Pakistan Textile Association (Apta) Secretary, Tanveer Sheikh, on Saturday criticised the government for disallowing cultivation of Bt cotton which has more output potential and requires far less pesticide sprays.
He said that although some growers had sown different Bt cotton seeds, the government never approved any. "The varieties of cotton being sown in our country are giving low yield per acre. Currently, it is around 18 maunds per acre, whereas on sowing Bt cotton it will be 35 to 40 maunds per acre. Farmers could yield almost double revenue, if [the government] allowed Bt cotton cultivation. The production of lint cotton in our country is around 12 million bales every year since 2003. India has allowed cultivation of Bt cotton and because of that its production has increased from 16 million bales in 2003 to 38 million last year."
He said that the Atomic Energy Commission and the National Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering in Faisalabad and the Centre of Excellence for Molecular Biology in Lahore had evolved the Bt cotton varieties, IRFH-901 and CIM-482. "But the government has disallowed their cultivation on the commercial scale," he rued, adding that the current production of lint cotton was much below the requirement, prompting the textile sector to use precious foreign exchange on importing cotton every year. Tanveer appealed to the government to take necessary measures to introduce and allow the Bt cotton cultivation.
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