Bt Cotton farming still popular in drought Areas

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BARGARH: Notwithstanding the ban by the State Government, Bt Cotton is being cultivated in the drought-prone areas of Padampur sub-division in the district. Sources said cultivation of Bt Cotton is being covertly promoted in a big way in Gaiselet block of the district. Systematic attempts by the biotech industry and their supporters have seen introduction of Bt Cotton in Orissa with assurances to farmers that it will result in increased yields. And with the area being drought-prone, promise of high yield and economic gain seem to have lured the farmers.Ranjit Mallick, a farmer of Kuliari village in Katabahal gram panchayat said as drought had been affecting paddy cultivation time and again in the absence of irrigation, farmers like him switched over to Bt Cotton unmindful of its long-term implications. Bt Cotton is being cultivated on over 50 acres in almost all the villages in the block.Earlier in Kutharla village in Khaprakhol block of Balangir district, cultivation of Bt Cotton had shown adverse impact on soil by destroying bacteria. Even hundreds of livestock had died after grazing on Bt Cotton fields in the village a few years back.Assistant Agriculture Officer of Gaiselet block  Malay Kumar Parija said the farmers are procuring seeds from Balangir which shares border with the block.He admitted to the cultivation and said the farmers are ignorant of its damaging effects.