Ludhiana: Amidst the din of aggressive campaigning for promotion of BT cotton in Punjab, scientists from Punjab Agricultural University have called for a more proactive role of the agriculture industry in trainer training, farmers' training and more research on bio-transgenic crops before allowing them into the food chain.

India's own Bt cotton is set for commercial release.

With water situation in the country improving, Punjab on Wednesday protested the distribution formula calling it "disastrous for cotton crop' in four crucial districts of southern Punjab, which produce over four million bales of cotton. In a letter to the Indus River System Authority (Irsa), the Punjab government said the distribution formula hurt cotton sowing in Dera Ghazi Khan, Rahim Yar Khan, Rajanpur and Muzaffargarh, which produced over four million bales.

An acute water shortage has hit cotton sowing on 200,000 acres with Nawabshah growers facing heavy financial losses. Dad and Nusrat irrigation divisions are in water rotation schedules for last couple of months. Growers of four talukas are facing the onslaught as standing sugarcane, banana, and vegetable crops are not being supplied with water. Growers have held several demonstrations demanding irrigation minister and concerned officials to ensure regular water supply but in vain.

Gujarati farmers are known for their astute business sense. They invariably switch over to a crop that fetches them more money. Earlier, when the farmers in Gujarat found cotton cultivation more profitable than groundnut crop, they had started growing more cotton. This year, Gujarat farmers have taken to cultivation of wheat to reap a rich harvest.

Stung by spiralling input costs and lower land holdings, cotton farmers in Gujarat are setting the stage for the second White Revolution in the state - by setting up their own cooperative. To help them in this initiative, Ahmedabad Textile Mills Association (ATMA) is conducting a pilot project among 5,000 farmers. Under the project, small farmers growing similar varieties of cotton will be encouraged to pool their lands to grow it collectively and share the profits.

The crop diversification policy of the Haryana government seems to be bearing fruit at last. The area under cotton crop in the state is going to increase to 5.25 lakh hectares from the 4.83 lakh hectares last year, said sources in the Haryana Agriculture Department. Both the desi variety and the BT cotton is going to be sown over a larger area this year. Cotton is generally grown in Hisar, Sirsa, Jind, Fatehabad and Bhiwani districts. May is the sowing season for BT cotton. Having found general acceptability among the people, BT cotton had become more popular with the farmers now.

The Gujarat government is up in arms against multinational companies selling Bt cotton seeds in the state. Taking into account the rising demand of such seeds and higher prices, the state government has decided to sell Bt cotton seeds at subsidised rates (Rs 50 less than other marketers) through Gujarat State Seeds Corporation (GSSCL) this month.