The Union Government has for the first time fixed a uniform price for Bt cotton seed. In a notification the Union Agriculture Ministry has fixed the maximum sale price of each Bt cotton seed packet at Rs. 800 for bollgard (BG)-II version of hybrid seed.
- It includes Rs. 49 as royalty fee to technology providers as well. Farmers had bought Bt cotton seeds in the price range of Rs. 830 to 1,000 per packet of 450 grams across the country in last sowing season.
- The price has now been reduced by over 70 per cent for the next season starting in April 2016.
- For the BG-I version, the maximum sale price has been fixed at 635 rupees per packet with no trait value, the notification added.
BG I and BG II
BG stands for Bollgard, and they are Bt cotton varieties;
- BG I was approved for sale in 2010 and
- BG II was approved for sale in 2006.
Bt Cotton
- Bt Cotton is a Genetically modified variety of cotton which produces an insecticide to protect the crops from various insects and pests.
- Bt stands for Bacillus Thuringiensis.
- The Bacterium Bacillus Thuringiensis produce over 200 different toxins and are lethal for moths, butterflies, beetles, cotton bollworms and some flies. But these are harmless to other forms of life thereby, a good incentive for farmers in India. As it significantly helps in cost cutting reduces the risk of insect or pest infection in fields.
