(a) whether the Government has any plan to grow the Genetically Modified (GM) crops across the country by providing training to farmers free of cost, if so, the details thereof; and
(b) if so, the steps taken by the Government thereon?
(a) whether the Government has any plan to grow the Genetically Modified (GM) crops across the country by providing training to farmers free of cost, if so, the details thereof; and
(b) if so, the steps taken by the Government thereon?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
(DR. SANJEEV KUMAR BALYAN)
(a) & (b): The Government of India has approved the commercial cultivation of Bt cotton in 2002. Following approval, ICAR - Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur and All India Coordinated Research Project on Cotton developed packages of practice for cultivation of Bt-Cotton in various agro-ecological regions for the farmers to raise the good crop. The training is being imparted through Bt- technology demonstrations at the Institute / State Agriculture University (SAU) campuses, Front Line Demonstrations, organizing Field days and Krishi Melas on farmers’ fields. Under e-kapas, 72,419 messages and alerts were regularly sent to farmers during the crop season 2015-16 giving advice and recommendations for successful cultivation depending upon the prevalent weather data and pest status. Besides, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW) is also providing trainings through various programmes.
The ICAR has launched Network Project on Transgenics in Crops (NPTC) since X Plan and a number of crops are transformed with trait-specific genes of economic importance in a network mode involving SAUs and ICAR Institutes.
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