Karnataka bans sale of 2 Bt cotton varieties by Mahyco this yr

New Delhi, Apr 10. The Karnataka government has banned Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company (Mahyco) from selling two popular Bt cotton seed varieties in the forthcoming 2014-15 crop year (July-June), following reports of lower crop yields. "The sales of Bt cotton hybrids by Mahyco company is banned until further orders in Karnataka state," according to the order issued by the state Agriculture Department. Further, the company has also been "black listed" to prevent it from participating in any tender process undertaken by the Karnataka State Department of Agriculture until further orders, it said. As per the order-dated March 22, the two seed varieties "MRC-7351" and "Nikkiplus" did not perform as expected during the 2013-14 crop year,affecting yields across seven districts in the state. After field visit, the state government officials found that 58,195 hectares suffered loss in crop yields by more than 50 per cent in affected districts -- Haveri, Belgaum, Davanagere, Chitradurga, Dharwad, Bellary and Gadag. The order said, "Mahyco has not conducted any awareness campaign or training programme for effective management of pests and disease. Therefore, Mahyco has clearly voilated the instructions given by Government of India at the time of permission of commercial sales." It