Illegal Bt Cotton Rampant, GM Varieties Nearing OK
15 October 2007 Some of the Bt cottonseed was likely obtained from local institutes, where new genetically modified (GM) cotton varieties are under development, but most of the illegal cottonseed is likely to have been smuggled into Pakistan from India, China and Australia.
At the same time, Pakistan’s government is taking steps to fast-track the commercial use of GM cotton varieties. It will likely take two to three years to develop, test and gain environmental release approval of new varieties suited to Pakistan’s climate, insects and plant diseases. The illegal Bt cottonseed is generally resistant to bollworm, but is not effective against mealy bugs and cotton leaf curl virus (CLCV), which pose serious threats to Pakistan’s cotton crop. To help speed up the authorization, a Federal Committee has been formed to promote cooperation between international biotech companies and Pakistan’s research institutes.
Even with the benefits of illegal Bt seed and what could be an overly optimistic production forecast, Pakistan’s cotton consumption of an expected 12.6 million bales is still above supply, making the country likely to remain a net importer. The domestic textile industry has a particularly strong import demand for high grade long staple cotton.
Last year, 2.3 million bales of cotton were imported from different origins including the U.S., Brazil, India and Uzbekistan.
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