Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) has developed hybrid tomato seeds (BARI HYBRID TOMATO-5) with a thrust of facing the deficit of quality tomato seed together with boosting its outpu

Crop Call them Punjab

The Bt gene gave cotton farmers freedom from bollworm.

It will be very unwise on the part of Kerala to ask public sector institutions to do research on genetically modified (GM) crops, the former chairman of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board V.S.

K.S.

CHENNAI: Agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan called on Wednesday for documenting indigenous farming knowledge which coped with monsoon vagaries.

In earlier days when there was no irrigation, farmers were prepared for floods and droughts.

The climate-resilient farming was a way of life in those days, and people went in for mixed cropping.

Dr.

Joseph Vackayil

Indian agriculture is evolving to its third phase, the era of genetically modified (GM) crops. The formalisation of this evolution into a revolution in the food sector will happen with the lifting of the moratorium on Bt brinjal by the Union government. India has already launched GM crops via Bt cotton in 50,000 hectares in 2002.

S.Ramachandran Pillai

Kozhikode: S. Ramachandran Pillai, Polit Bureau member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), on Tuesday, demanded that the Union government make public-sector investments in genetically modified (GM) technology.

At a press conference here, Mr. Pillai said such investments would end exploitation of farmers by multinational companies in the field.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: R.V.G. Menon, noted social activist and former president of the Kerala Sasthra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP), has endorsed the State government's stand that Genetically Modified (GM) crops will not be permitted in the State till their safety is proved beyond doubt, but sought an open mind on the issue.

In an article in Janayugom, a CPI publication, on Tuesday, Prof.