“We have a gene that helps plants grow better even with less rain”

The new drought-resistant gene could hit the US as early as 2011 and help resolve a part of the world’s water problems, says Dr Harvey...

The new drought-resistant gene could hit the US as early as 2011 and help resolve a part of the world’s water problems, says Dr Harvey L. Glick, director for scientific affairs in Asia-Pacific, Monsanto. In the farm business for over 30 years, Glick joined the agriculture biotech MNC at a time when it was beginning to develop crop biotechnology programmes. He helped introduce the first biotech crop in Canada in 1995 and has been actively involved in the development of biotech crops for Europe, Asia and the Americas. Glick talks to Vikas Dhoot about key issues in Indian and global agriculture, stressing on the need to revive extension counters in India.

• You have made breakthroughs in the next generation of BT seeds which are drought-resistant. Can these help ease water disputes around the world?

Today, agriculture consumes 70 per cent of the world’s fresh water. Every country is facing challenges in managing water. We have developed a gene that helps plants to grow better even when rain is not good. We have been testing it in South America and the US for some years now. The first such seed, corn, should be available in the US by 2011-12 while cotton may come soon after. The studies on the new corn seeds have shown an 8-10 per cent higher yield even when rains are not good. I would be the first to admit that the challenges of water distribution are too complex to be solved by this alone, but it can be part of the solution.

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• India wants a second green revolution to reverse the worsening plight of its farm sector. Any suggestions?

The first green revolution in India was hugely successful. The key reason was the creation of a formidable network of agricultural extension counters—the best in the world—that worked closely with farmers. The farmers had to change the way they did everything. The good thing about biotech crops is that the technology is inside the seed, unlike in the first green revolution.

But since the Eighties, around the world, there has been a problem—public-sector investment in agriculture has shrunk sharply. It’s the same in India, whose agricultural extension network and universities are in a disarray. There is an urgent need to revive them. Despite that, I think Indian farmers have become very progressive—they are already advanced in the use of new biotech crops. Two million Indian farmers now use BT seeds while BT cotton is already planted in more than 8 million acres. In fact, in 2006, the rate of increase in BT cotton in India was higher than in China.

• How can you explain the dichotomy in India’s cotton sector—even as output touched record levels last year, suicides among cotton farmers are high?

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Though cotton is an important crop in India, it has one of the lowest yields per acre. So there is a desire to raise yields and farmers are witnessing the impact of BT cotton seeds on output. They see that this technology works, gives higher yields and want to adopt it. But there is a need to educate and inform them on how to best utilise the seeds. Some seeds are sold without official clearance or without any information on how to use them, and farmers can end up losing their investments. Extension counters could play a vital role.

• Why haven’t BT seeds taken off in Africa, especially as cotton is the only source of livelihood for millions but remains uncompetitive due to low yields?

Cotton farmers could benefit significantly in north-west Africa. There have been field trials in Burkina Faso and Mali, but unfortunately, government policies are not yet in place to allow trials and bring the seeds to market in most countries. South Africa has had the policy and legislative framework in place for biotech crops since 1996 and farmers are doing very well. We are hoping the other African nations will follow.