The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
Britain's first ever field trial for genetically modified (GM) wheat was vandalised over the weekend in a move likened by the leader of the country's farming union to book burning by the Nazis in the 1930s. An intruder broke into the trial at Rothamsted Research in eastern England on Sunday …
France's attempt to ban the planting of a Monsanto strain of genetically modified maize was rejected by the EU's food safety body on Monday. In response to scientific evidence submitted by France backing its bid to ban the GM maize, the European Food Safety Authority ruled that "there is no …
Community gains from genetic engineering Genetic modification / Genetic Engineering (GM/ GE / GMO) is a technology. The entire basis for evolution is constant genetic modification by nature. With conventional breeding techniques, several hundreds of genes move from one plant / animal to another and the beneficial outcomes are selected. …
Biotech industry’s propaganda is false The only transgenic crop grown in India is Bt cotton developed by injecting a toxin from a soil bacterium called Bacillus Thuringiensis [Bt] into a cotton seed through a highly sophisticated process. When planted the seed produces a highly toxic cotton plant. Its roots, stem, …
In the absence of any viable regulatory mechanism for gene technology, the Supr-eme Court has set up a six-member expert committee to monitor field trials on certain crops using genetically-modified organisms. The panel. which has three months to submit its rep-ort, will ensure that the open tests do not have …
Genetically Modified (GM) seeds are the need of the hour to bolster farm production in the face of rising demand, and a way to match productivity of countries such as China and Vietnam, according to food scientists and experts here. With GM crops seen with suspicion by most, the scientists …
The subject of the ‘mixed bag’, which proposes non-Bt-cotton seeds be mixed with Bt-cotton seeds in the same bag, has raised an interesting debate in this journal. It was flagged by Hanur, who recommended that the mixed bag should be allowed in India. He made this proposal pointing out that …
The growing cultivation of Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT) cotton, especially in Punjab, has decreased the area under wheat and sugarcane cultivation due to relatively longer germination period of BT cotton. "BT cotton is gaining popularity in Punjab and its growing cultivation is having a negative impact on other crops particularly wheat …
Given that the controversy over success and failure of Bt technology still exists, this paper discusses the available field studies that have addressed agro-economic questions of Bt cotton cultivation in India. Since a meta-analysis of studies can give only partial conclusions, owing to differences across study methodologies and coverage, this …
Transgenes encoding for insecticidal crystal (Cry) proteins from the soil-dwelling bacterium Bacillus Thuringiensis have been widely introduced into Genetically Modified (GM) crops to confer protection against insect pests. Concern that these transgenes may also harm beneficial or otherwise valued insects (so-called Non Target Organisms, NTOs) represents a major element of …
‘Spread of the Bt gene could make brinjal a problematic weed' An independent enquiry has revealed that the cultivation of genetically engineered (GE, also called genetically modified, or GM) Bt brinjal poses risks to the environment and possibly to human health. The occurrence of wild, weedy and also cultivated relatives …
This new study by UK-based PG Economics presents the findings of research on global socio-economic and environmental impact of biotech crops from 1996-2010, since they were first commercially planted on a significant area. This study presents the findings of research into the global socio-economic and environmental impact of biotech crops …
Bt-maize is a transgenic variety of maize expressing the Cry toxin from Bacillus turingiensis. The potential accumulation of the relative effect of the transgenic modification and the cry toxin on the rhizobacterial communities of Bt-maize has been monitored over a period of four years.
Ahmedabad: The state government has taken a decision to stop distributing Monsanto’s maize seeds called ‘Prabal’ to farmers. The decision was taken in a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Confirming the decision, agriculture minister Dilip Sanghania said, “The government has taken a decision that it will not distribute maize seeds of …
A new biotech corn developed by Dow AgroSciences could answer the prayers of U.S. farmers plagued by a fierce epidemic of super-weeds. Or it could trigger a flood of dangerous chemicals that may make weeds even more resistant and damage other important U.S. crops. Or, it could do both. "Enlist," …
NEW DELHI, 22 APRIL: The government has failed to make agriculture a profitable enterprise and to raise the livelihood of the farmers, according to farmer leader and president of Bharatiya Krishak Samaj, Dr Krishan Bir Chaudhary. Chairing the national conference on “Food Security & Right to Food”, organised jointly by …
Acerage down on low yield, weak prices & export curbs The cotton export debacle has created an oversupply of Bt seeds in the market with angry farmers expected to plant less area in the coming summer season. Companies are bracing for a price war in branded cotton seed, a far …
