Bangladesh holds Bt cotton field trials

Hyderabad-centered JK Agri Genetics Ltd, an arm of the JK Organisation, is collaborating with the Bangladesh governing administration to keep subject trials of genetically-modified cotton in the neighbouring place.

“The Bangladesh governing administration is conducting the subject trials, which have been concluded for the very first year. The final results are good. Industry trials will be held for the second year this yr sometime involving April and November,” explained Gyanendra Shukla, President and Director of JK Agri Genetics, better commonly recognised as JK Seeds.

The US Division of Agriculture (USDA), in a be aware on the Bangladesh progress, explained that Dhaka’s Cotton Enhancement Board (CDB) began trials of the genetically-modified or bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton with two versions — JKCH 1947 Bt and JKCH 1950 Bt — which can resist bollworm and Tumble armyworm in the plant.

In accordance to the USDA, the CDB received the Bt cotton versions below the material transfer arrangement from JK Seeds, an erstwhile division of JK Tyres and Industries Ltd.

“Though the very first year trials gave good final results, much more trials need to be done. When the Bangladesh governing administration is content with the final results, it will commence the deregulation procedure whereby farmers will be allowed to cultivate the Bt assortment,” explained Shukla. The CDB concluded the greenhouse trial of the cotton versions successfully on March four last yr, and it bought the permission of Bangladesh’s Countrywide Committee on Biosafety Clearance to start confined subject trials for the latest crop yr (August 2020-July 2021), the USDA explained.

Escalating output

“We are carrying out practically nothing on our possess. Nor are we engaged in any industrial action in Bangladesh,” the JK Seeds President explained, hinting that the Sheikh Hasina Wajed governing administration is independently managing these actions, though his enterprise is collaborating.

Bangladesh’s objective behind these trials is to build “efficient genetically-modified cotton” as aspect of its efforts to improve cotton production. At this time, it meets about twenty five per cent of its raw cotton prerequisites by imports from India.

The USDA has pegged Bangladesh’s 2020-21 crop at one.86 lakh bales (of 170 kg) on 46,000 hectares.