Biotech Updates

Video on China Bt Cotton

January 18, 2008

Cotton is a most important crop in China where cultivated areas now reach over 5 million hectares. Bt cotton is planted in more than 3 million hectares by an estimated 7.1 million small farmers. "Silver Fields of Gold: The Story of Bt Cotton in China" is an 18-minute video that documents cotton cultivation in China and how Bt cotton eventually became the first biotech crop to be planted widely in the country. Various stakeholders who made this a reality - scientists, government officials, farmers and the private sector - share their experiences and thoughts about this technology. 

The video is a collaborative project of China's  Biotechnology Research Institute, Cotton Research Institute, CCTV-7 Agriculture Programme, and the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications. The video is available for viewing in English and Mandarin via video streaming at http://www.isaaa.org/kc/inforesources/videos/btcottonchina/.  It is the fourth in a series of videos  produced by ISAAA that document Third World country experiences in cultivating Bt corn, Bt cotton, biotech papaya, and tissue culture banana.