www.checkbiotech.org ; www.raupp.info ; www.czu.cz

Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (MINFAL) is planning to release
first home-grown insect-resistant Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT) cotton variety
during next sowing season to maximise the production of cotton crop for
domestic needs and exports, January 2007.

?Insect-resistant BT cotton variety, IRFH-901 developed by National
Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad is
all set to become the first home-grown variety for commercial cultivation in
the country,? Commissioner, Agriculture Development, Dr Qadir Bux Baloch
told APP.

The share of BT cotton in total world cotton production has reached 30 per
cent and is expected to touch 40 per cent mark by the year 2010.

Dr Qadir Bux Baloch said, besides encouraging the domestic production of BT
cottonseed by research institutes, the government was also in the process of
talks with a world renowned biotechnology company to ensure the transfer of
technology in this vital sector. He hoped that a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) was likely to be signed with this company shortly.

He said that efforts were also on to completely eliminate the problem of
Cotton Curl Leaf Virus (CCLV) from the country and hoped that a variety
resistant to the virus would be developed soon.

[www.thenews.com.pk]

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