Mahyco Receives ABLE Award for Outstanding Contribution to Agri-biotech Sector
April 17, 2013| |
During the celebration of 10th anniversary of India's Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE) on 11 March 2013, the Union Minister of Agriculture Mr. Sharad Pawar honored Mahyco with the ABLE award for outstanding contribution to agriculture biotech sector in the country.
Mahyco, a leading seed and biotech company played a vital role in introducing the insect resistant Bt cotton in 2002 that helped India double cotton productivity and production in a short span of 10 years from 2002 to 2011. In 2012, India achieved a record cotton production of 35 million bales transforming the lives of 7.2 million small farmers growing Bt cotton over 10.8 million ha occupying 93% of total cotton area in the country. Bt cotton helped farmers reduce insecticide spraying and increased cotton yield due to significant reduction in losses caused primarily by American bollworm and rapid uptake to high yielding cotton hybrids. India becomes the largest cotton producer and exporter in the world and also registered a substantial increase in the share of cotton production reaching a quarter of global cotton production.
On this occasion, the Union Agriculture Minister along with his counterparts Union Minister of Health Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad, Minister of Human Resource Development Mr. Shashi Tharoor and Burrill CEO Mr. Steven Burrill released the roadmap for the biotech sector and highlighted its role in catalyzing the growth of this sector which now amounts to US$ 100 billion in the country.
Agriculture Minister Pawar called on the scientific community and civil society organizations to work in tandem to ensure that the country meets the growing requirements of food grains while assuring agricultural and environmental sustainability. "I am of the opinion that the distinction for-GM and anti-GM is unnecessary. Let the science tell us what is good and what is not. And for that we must allow our scientists to conduct the trials by observing strictest possible safety measures", he said while inaugurating the conference on Building A Bioeconomy.
For more information visit ABLE website at: www.http://ableindia.in/.
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