Pakistan To OK Bt Cotton

Avatar for Matt Hopkins By Scott C. Lucas|5 March 2007

However, he added that the new variety to be launched may not yield as well as illegal varieties that are already being grown in the country.

Pakistan’s Chairman of the Committee Makhdoom Ahmed Alam Anwar lamented that the ministry had failed even to release even one variety of Bt cotton already, adding, “India hasintroduced 40 varieties of Bt cotton, while Pakistan has not released a single variety.” India has produced several record cotton crops in successive years, while Pakistan has faced a widening gap between its growing ginning and milling sectors and its near-flat cotton production, forcing the country to use more expensive imported cotton.