Bangladesh holds Bt cotton field trials
Hyderabad-based JK Agri Genetics Ltd, an arm of the JK Organisation, is collaborating with the Bangladesh govt to maintain subject trials of genetically-modified cotton in the neighbouring nation.
“The Bangladesh govt is conducting the subject trials, which have been completed for the initially period. The outcomes are good. Industry trials will be held for the second period this calendar year someday among April and November,” mentioned Gyanendra Shukla, President and Director of JK Agri Genetics, far better popularly identified as JK Seeds.
The US Section of Agriculture (USDA), in a note on the Bangladesh progress, mentioned that Dhaka’s Cotton Enhancement Board (CDB) commenced 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 Slide armyworm in the plant.
According to the USDA, the CDB acquired the Bt cotton varieties beneath the product transfer agreement from JK Seeds, an erstwhile division of JK Tyres and Industries Ltd.
“Though the initially period trials gave good outcomes, much more trials have to have to be finished. After the Bangladesh govt is glad with the outcomes, it will start off the deregulation course of action whereby farmers will be allowed to cultivate the Bt range,” mentioned Shukla. The CDB completed the greenhouse trial of the cotton varieties successfully on March four very last calendar year, and it bought the authorization of Bangladesh’s Nationwide Committee on Biosafety Clearance to start confined subject trials for the present crop calendar year (August 2020-July 2021), the USDA mentioned.
Expanding output
“We are undertaking practically nothing on our individual. Nor are we engaged in any industrial activity in Bangladesh,” the JK Seeds President mentioned, hinting that the Sheikh Hasina Wajed govt is independently managing these actions, whilst his company is collaborating.
Bangladesh’s aim guiding these trials is to build “efficient genetically-modified cotton” as component of its initiatives to increase cotton generation. Currently, it meets about twenty five for every cent of its raw cotton specifications 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.