Transgenic varieties are being grown in 13 production areas, 5 research centers
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has said that Bangladesh has started limited cultivation for "demonstration trials" of two varieties of Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) cotton in 13 production areas and five cotton research centers.
The USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service's Dhaka Post said cultivation began on August 20, 2023, after an application by the Cotton Development Board (CDB) of Bangladesh was approved by the National Biosecurity Committee.
CDB sought to release JKCH 1947 and JKCH 1050 BT varieties for "performance trials". The trials are being conducted on 138 farmers' plots (0.25 acres/plot) and 30 farmers' agricultural research plots (0.11 acres/plot), totaling 37.8 acres, the Dhaka Post said.
planting delayed
Bt cotton farmers told Dhaka Post that they sowed Bt seeds a little late because they received the seeds late. Furthermore, they faced heavy rainfall after seed germination, which caused some damage and reduced vegetative growth.
However, farmers reported clear differences in Bt plants compared to traditional varieties. "Farmers hope that cultivating Bt cotton will reduce their costs on pesticides," the post said.
These Bt cotton varieties can resist bollworm and fall armyworm in the plant.
This development comes as India has been unable to introduce any new Bt variety, especially the herbicide tolerant Bt One, since 2006.
indian angle
Hyderabad-based JK Agri Genetics Limited, a branch of JK Organisation, collaborated with the Government of Bangladesh for field testing of these Bt cotton varieties.
However, Gyanendra Shukla, chairman and director of JK Agri Genetics, popularly known as JK Seeds, told BusinessLine two years ago that “We are not doing anything on our end. Nor are we engaged in any business activity in Bangladesh.
The CDB of Bangladesh is dedicated to the development of hybrid and short duration, high yielding cotton varieties that exhibit desirable fiber characteristics.
The Dhaka Post said CDB, in collaboration with a Bangladesh-based private seed company, is actively importing hybrid cotton seeds from China. Research is also being conducted to assess the suitability of these imported varieties for local conditions.
cotton production target
According to CDB, cotton is cultivated in 39 out of 64 districts of Bangladesh. But cotton cultivation is only 0.55 percent of the total 8.1 million hectares of cultivable land in the neighboring country.
Locally, Bangladesh produces less than 2 percent of its total cotton consumption and the area under natural fiber has increased only marginally since 2016.
The Bangladesh government aims to meet 10 percent of its fiber demand through domestic production. Cotton is most cultivated in Bangladesh during the Rabi season. But expansion in cotton cultivation has been hampered by the fact that growers are having to abandon the cultivation of aman rice and winter vegetables grown during June-July.
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