• As many as 57 species of fish in Haryana have disappeared over the past four decades as a result of pollution and high siltation of rivers, a study found.

• UN's Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination strongly reprimanded the Botswana government over eviction of the Gana and Gwi Bushmen.

Cotton dogged by technological glitches

In the past five years, when cotton farmers of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab were struggling, Gujarat farmers were making hay, to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore a year. The state’s total yield has increased by 5.6 million bales in the past five years.

What's the secret of Navbharat-151's success?

This is designed as a shorter-duration variety (140 days) as against 180 days to facilitate the rabi crop. Because it originates from the best local selections, it suits local conditions well. Besides, this is a long-staple variety and has potential yield of 5,500 kg per hectare.

Can we ever do without imports?

A few lakh bales of imports, even if they continue for a long time, should not be a major concern because the percentage of imports to total demand of raw cotton has been consistently low at around 2 per cent only.

Will the import duty structure go down or up in the future?

Bt cotton seeds sold in India are priced in the range of Rs 1,750-1,850 per 450 gramme packet, while the normal hybrid costs Rs 300-500 and illegal Bt is sold at Rs 450-900. The higher pricing of legally approved Bt seeds is due to the royalty of Rs 1,200 which is paid to Monsanto.

This article examines the divergent political responses to unplanned exposure to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the Global South. Although scientific and domestic political considerations have some relevance to explaining different positions among developing countries, trade considerations appear to be a principal driver of GMO policy.

Though there is a great deal of variability in the expected performance of Bt cotton depending on the environment, the regulation and marketing of the hybrids reflects a uniformity of approach that is inexplicable. Academic studies continue to talk of the importance of studying toxicity and monitoring resistance build-up even as initial resistance management plans at the farm level fail.

It was a biased projection Apropos