Minister of State for Agriculture Krishna Byre Gowda has said that the department has an open mind on genetically modified (GM) crops, and it is left to farmers to make informed choices.
He told presspersons here on Tuesday that Bt cotton, first introduced in the State in the late 1990s, had helped farmers improve yields in an eco-friendly manner. “Nearly 90 per cent of farmers in the State are using Bt cotton seeds,” he said. “We must keep our minds open,” Mr. Byre Gowda said when asked to spell out the government’s stand on GM crops.
