HYDERABAD: The war
of words between Mahyco Monsanto Biotech (India) Private Limited (MMBL) and the
National Seed Association of India (NSAI) continues with MMBL issuing a
rebuttal to the allegation made by the latter on the failure of Bollgard II and
its consequences.MMBL has contended that it is not responsible for development
of resistance in pink bollworm and its acceleration or the consequences
(compensation claims). It blamed the NSAI for threatening to stop sales of Bt
cotton seeds from this month.“Your threat to advise your members to stop
selling Bt cotton seeds from January 2018 is irresponsible and in complete
disregard of the interests of farmers,” Satyender Singh, Director of MMBL, said
in the letter.
The five-page letter gave a point-by-point rebuttal to NSAI’s allegations
against Monsanto and MMBL on a host of issues that included payment of
compensations and efficacy of Bollgard II.MMBL alleged that the NSAI was trying
to deflect responsibilities on development of resistance caused by the failure
of its member companies in propagating prescribed practices.Reiterating that
resistance was a natural and evolutionary adaptation of insects and pests to
stress factors, he said propagation and adoption of recommended practices was a
combined responsibility of all stakeholders in cotton production and not just
that of the technology provider.
Rejecting the claim that
it kept mum on the growing resistance, he said both the regulator and the seed
firms had been informed about the incidence.The firm, which sub-licences it to
Indian seed companies, also wrote to Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister of
Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, explaining to him about the fallacies in the
NSAI allegations.
NSAI’s response
The NSAI reiterated its threat on stoppage of seed sales. “We make it clear
that until and unless there is clarity on the role and responsibility, there is
no question of selling Bt cotton seeds,” Kalyan B Goswami, Director-General of
NSAI, said.“You accept that resistance is natural and evolutionary but go on
charging trait value for the technology despite its failure,” he argued.He said that the
resistance was not restricted to only a few areas as claimed by the firm. “The
regulatory authorities have confirmed that BGII failure was observed in more
than 90 per cent of the cotton growing area in the country,” he pointed out.
Source: The Hindu Business Line, India Thursday, 18 January 2018