February 2007
Business Standard	BUDGET IMPACT 2007-2008 Monsanto India, which is involved in the manufacture of hybrid seeds and agrochemicals, will benefit due to the shift in the focus in India on agricultural production and increasing the yield per hectare. Monsanto stands to gain due to the demand for better quality and insect and drought protected seeds.
Feb 17,The Hindu	India emerging as key bio-technology leader in Asia India has surpassed China in terms of the area planted with genetically modified seeds. The area planted with Biotech cotton in India has tripled in 2006 as compared to the 2005. The acceptance of genetically modified seeds by farmers is high in countries like China, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines where crops are often damaged by pests or extreme environmental conditions. The coming 10 years will witness an increased focus on research in biotechnology projects in Asia.
ers.usda.gov	USDA Agricultural Projections to 2016 A report prepared by Interagency Agricultural Projections Committee provides projections for the agriculture sector right up till 2016. The report is based on assumptions like there are no abnormal weather conditions or any plant or animal diseases, and other assumptions for the policy, global changes and macroeconomic conditions. As per the report there will be an increased demand for bio-fuels in the US and EU hence the related increase in the cultivation of corn for ethanol production. This trend will have a direct effect on the production, use and the cost of agricultural products. The report states that the export competition is expected to increase with a related rise in the market price. The adaptation of Bt cotton in India has raised the yield of cotton crop in the last few years. As per the report this trend is expected to continue with the additional output being used locally for textile manufacturing rather than exporting.
Feb 05,Financial Express	Critics of GM crops are selfish people Clive James Chairman of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) has drafted a report on the adaptation of biotech crops globally. As per the report about 53% of the global population has access to biotech crops. Only 22 countries cultivate biotech crops whereas a total of 51 countries import the crop. In 2006 area under biotech plantation was 102 million hectares as compared to 1.7 million in 2006 registering a 60 times increase over a 11 year tenure. Biotechnology minimizes the use of pesticide. However its full potential is yet to be explored. As per Mr. James this can be achieved by sharing the knowledge accumulated over the years for the benefit of the society.
Feb 03,The Financial express	ISAAA moots development of transgenic bio-fuel crops International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) has made a suggestion for the use of transgenic crops as bio-fuel. ISAAA states that in the next 20 years transgenic crops will be able to meet the global food as well as the bio-fuel requirement. At present the focus of transgenic varieties is on pest and insect resistant varieties rather than yield improvement. Setting aside land for cultivating bio-fuels so that the land used for cultivation of food crop is not used is a matter of concern. Globally crops like soybean, maize, canola and grape seed are being used for bio-fuel production. Brazil has announced a new bio-fuel called H-Bio, which is a combination of soybeans, sunflower seeds, cottonseed and castor beans.
Feb 01,The Economic Times	Bt cotton pie 39% of acreage: study The area under Bt cotton plantation in India has increased from 6.2% in 2005-06 to 39% in 2006-07. A study conducted by IMRB states that of the 91.32-lakh hectares under cotton cultivation 35.61 lakh hectares is under Bt cultivation. The yield has gone up from 19.2 million bales in 2005-06 to 21 million bales in 2006-07. Bt cotton is giving better yield as compared to other genetic varieties this is proved by the share of Bt cotton sale as compared to other hybrids. Out of the 150-lakh packets of hybrid seeds sold in 2006, 35 lakh packets were Bt cottonseeds. On an average across India the cotton yield has increased from 470 kg per hectare in 2004-05 to 503 kg per hectare in 2006-07.