Biotech Updates

Regional Consultation on Biotech Cotton: Opportunities for Small Scale Farmers

March 16, 2007

Would the adoption of Bt technology be beneficial for small scale farmers in Pakistan and other developing countries? What are the factors that need to be assessed by scientists and policy makers in order to determine the likely benefits and risks of adoption of the technology? What lessons could be learned from the experiences of other developing countries who have already adopted the technology? These were some of the topics discussed last week in Faisalabad, Pakistan, during a Regional Consultation on Biotech Cotton.

Participants agreed that although Bt cotton is potentially very beneficial to farmers, other factors in addition to the availability of the technology need to be considered to ensure successful adoption. Among these requirements are:

  • Careful assessment of the constraints to cotton production specific to each country, as Bt will only provide protection against Lepidopteran pests while cotton is attacked by a number of pests and diseases, the importance of which varies among different countries;
  • Availability of the technology in local germplasm, as national varieties are the best suited to the biotic and abiotic stresses, and usually perform better than imported seeds;
  • Availability of the technology from different sources to ensure market competition and lower prices, and to avoid monopoly of the technology;
  • Support for biotechnology from national governments to ensure responsible use and management of the technology;
  • Strong national research programs, on biotechnology and conventional breeding techniques, in order to develop varieties that address the specific national constraints, and avoid dependency on imported seeds.

The workshop “Regional Consultation on Genetically Modified Cotton for Risk Assessment and Opportunities for Small-scale Cotton Growers” was funded by the Common Fund of Commodities, and was organized by the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC), the National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering of Pakistan (NIBGE), and the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA). The event was attended by cotton experts from over 25 countries, mainly from Asia and South East Africa.

For more information contact Randy Hautea, ISAAA global coordinator, at r.hautea@isaaa.org.