How power shaped the ‘success story’ of genetically modified cotton in Burkina Faso
Many GM crops in Africa are not the domain of big agri-business companies. This doesn’t mean vested interests won’t still shape …
Spinning industry seeks government help
Industry association recently published advertisements in newspapers, seeking govt attention
Improving water security in Maharashtra’s cotton-growing villages
Cotton is an important fibre crop in Maharashtra, with more than four million farmers engaged in cotton farming
Cotton imposters
Companies like Welspun India may be passing off ordinary cotton fabrics as Egyptian cotton ones and there is no foolproof method yet of detecting …
Genocide of farmers
Film >> Cotton for my shroud • by Nandan Saxena and Kavita Bahl • Produced by Top Quark Films • 81.30 min HDV Documentary 2011
Buttermilk-based bioformulation helps in cotton disease control
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University researchers found that a plant growth promoting rhizo bacteria can be used to fight Tobacco Streak Virus in cotton
Cotton-eating monsters lay low the farmers
Cotton farmers in northwest India were taken by surprise when, despite a pesticide blitzkrieg, the American bollworm devastated half their crops. …
Revoked!
The cancellation of a US firm's rights on a method to genetically engineer cotton has brought weaknesses in India's patent system into focus
Neem "green"
The menace of pesticide-resistant varieties can be effectively managed with the help of neem-based pesticides
Committee confirms use of illegal cotton seeds
Last year, herbicide tolerant cotton was blamed for the deaths of farmers due to inhalation in Vidharbha region
Organic cotton is catching on
Health concerns have led to increasing production of organically grown cotton, which uses less pesticide
Heavy cotton
Following suicides by cotton farmers in various parts of the country, the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Delhi, the National …
A Frayed History: The Journey of Cotton in India
A comprehensive study of cotton farming, this book explores the loss of local varieties of cotton and cotton-weaving traditions.
Revoking Monsanto's GM cotton patent is of little help to farmers let down by the technology
Designed to resist the bollworm pest, Monsanto's Bollgard II is seen as useless as the pink bollworm ravages cotton fields across the country
Cotton saga unravels
Flat yields for five years and rising insecticide use are jeopardising the success of Bt cotton technology
Vidarbha experiment with desi cotton to be extended to 10 states
CICR says it got yields as high as 25 to 30 quintals per acre using high density plantation of non-Bt cotton varieties
Wrong to say Bt cotton successful in India: Environmental activists
The GM crop traditionally modified to repel pests has instead induced new pests that can greatly disrupt the ecological balance
‘Let farmers decide the price’
Mani Chinnaswamy’s contract farming model has prompted IIM graduates to study his Appachi formula. After all, it gives farmers the right to …
Study points to quality issues in Bt cotton seeds
The study has found seed companies violating norms on the mixture of refuge seeds and Bt cotton seeds provided to farmers
Suicide by pesticide
After the failure of the cotton crop, a large numbers of farmers in Andhra Pradesh are committing suicide by consuming the very pesticide that is …
Divided colours of cotton
The Union government goes for another field trial of Bt cotton, and another round of confusion
Making of a nightmare
Pakistan faces trying times ahead, as insecticide resistant cotton pests threaten to devastate the country's fledgling economy
Field report
Bt cotton farmers in Karnataka are an insecure and confused lot, and neither the government, nor Mahyco or the anti-Mahyco groups are any help at all
Trial after error
The Supreme Court's decision to resend Monsanto's Bt cotton case to the trial court will ensure judicial scrutiny of all aspects of the patent …
Dyeing cotton fabrics is an ancient Indian art
Indian textiles formed an important item in the trade network, the major thrust being on cotton fabrics in vibrant kalamkari patterns. Mastery …