Nuzvid Seeds Bt Cotton banned

Guntur: District Collector B. Ramanjaneyulu on Friday issued orders banning sale and distribution of a variety of Bt Cotton seed – BRCH - 331 – in Guntur district manufactured by Nuzvid Seeds Limited after a series of Protein Quantifying Tests showed negative results. He also recommended to the Commissioner of Agriculture to review the renewal of the companys licence in view of the reports of seed testing lab. The decision is a big blow to the biggest seed company in the State, which has emerged as a market leader in manufacturing and distribution of Bt Cotton seed. Cotton has emerged as a major commercial crop in the district after chilli and is grown in about 1.5 lakh hectares.

The decision comes close on the heels of tests conducted on the companys Bt Cotton samples at the Seed Testing Laboratory, Rajendranagar, also showed negative results in the percentage of germination. Nuzvid Seeds Limited has a manufacturing plant at Chinakondrapadu village in Prathipadu mandal. The company sells about five lakh seed in Guntur district.

The district is preparing ground for taking harsh measures against firms resorting to sale of spurious seed. Agricultural Officer, Prathipadu, Srinivasa Naik, told The Hindu on Friday that earlier tests conducted on Bt Cotton seed samples showed lesser germination percentages than the prescribed 75 per cent.