Articles by Kavitha Kuruganti

The analysis in “Bt Brinjal: Need to Refocus the Debate” (EPW, 15 May) by Prabir Purkayastha and Satyajit Rath is right to the extent that in the debate on genetically-modifi ed (GM) crop technology, the role of multinational corporations (MNCs) like Monsanto and other monopolies should not be neg

It is presumed that remarkable increases in cotton productivity in India have come about through bacillus thuringiensis cotton and that this approach therefore must be replicated in other crops. This article explores the myth of rising yields of genetically modified crops and points out that genetic engineering has been at best neutral with respect to yield and in many cotton growing countries the average cotton yields have stagnated since the adoption of Bt cotton.

Going by the text of the National Biotechnology Regulatory Bill 2008, the government of India and specifically, the department of biotechnology (DBT), have a clear disdain for the need to conserve biodiversity, or allow state governments to exercise their constitutional rights over their agricultu

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 is clear that all possible options for managing bollworms have not been assessed before zeroing in on Bt cotton.