Here is help

Bt Cotton Greenpeace India The Indian branch of the international environmental organisation Greenpeace has released Kisan Surakhsa Kawach an easy-to-use legal manual to help Bt. cotton farmers get legal protection from seed corporations selling genetically engineered seeds.

Anti-GM vestiges

Brazil's ministry of environment (moe) has objected to the go ahead given to the use and sale of transgenic seed major Monsanto's genetically modified (gm) cotton variety 'Bollgard' in the country.

Go ahead

the Union government's Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (geac) recently permitted the cultivation of six genetically modified (gm) cotton varieties in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

The yarn of justice

The us defeat is final now. On March 3, 2005, the World Trade Organization (wto) appellate body upheld a ruling that condemned the us government for providing illegal export subsidies to its cotton producers.

Natural resplendence

B M Khadi is a shy -- almost reclusive -- cotton scientist at the Agricultural University, Dharwad, Karnataka. But even a stray remark on the need to find substitutes for environmentally-dangerous dyed fabrics is enough to break his reticence. "We have heard stories of chemical dyes playing havoc with our rivers and water systems. It is imperative that we find alternatives," he says.

Bytes

using cotton gin residue: US researchers have found the waste generated when cotton is ginned (seeds separated from fibre) can yield valuable products. They have developed manufacturing processes to extract specific chemicals and make two products -- ethanol, which can be a fuel in automobiles, and xylitol, a sugar. The team was headed by Foster A Agblevor, professor of biological systems engineering in Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Cottoning on disparity

the World Trade Organization (wto) set up a special subcommittee on cotton on November 19, 2004, to address the issues concerning cotton trade "ambitiously, expeditiously and specifically".

Made for India

a recent development may help farmers in India overcome the problem of pests attacking genetically modified (gm) cotton. Many farmers have started using insect-resistant gm bt cotton licensed by the us biotech giant Monsanto.

Multilateral fillip

in the wee hours of August 1, 2004, members of the World Trade Organization (wto) reached an agreement in Geneva. It is only a framework agreement, but sets out principles to guide further negotiations. Positive in places, much hard work remains if the developing world is to secure meaningful gains.

Torn to shreds

history will be made on June 18, when the World Trade Organization (wto) is expected to officially declare that the subsidies given by the us to its cotton farmers are illegal. It will be the first time that a developing country -- Brazil in this instance -- would have won a case against a developed nation's subsidies. Not surprisingly, celebrations have begun well in advance, with Brazil claiming victory on April 26 itself.