-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Indian GM cotton a failure
Date: 7 Jun 2003 07:14:42 -0500
From:

Indian GM cotton a failure

A new study in India says that 71% of farmers who tried out a
genetically modified pest-resistant variety of cotton suffered an
average decrease in crop yield of 35%, compared with farms where
traditional coton was grown.

The study says it also found that the new variety failed to live up to
claims that it needed significantly less pesticide treatment, and that
its cultivation was cheaper.

However, a spokesman for Monsanto, the biotech company which
introduced the new cotton seeds, disputed the study's findings, and
said that the lower yield could be due to drought.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2967854.stm