The ministry of agriculture is likely to take decision regarding reviewing the price of Bt cotton seeds, including tech fees, by March to help farmers plan the June Kharif planting season. As there has been a rise in the input cost, the industry has seen a 10 percent increase in price. A pricing freedom has been sought by some manufacturers.
The Bt cotton seeds price was fixed at Rs. 730 per 450 gm by the government last year. This was done to bring price parity across states.
An official of the agriculture ministry said, “We will be taking decision on cotton seeds prices after discussions with industry and farmer representatives. A meeting is expected in a fortnite with the stakeholders, post which the gazette notification will be issued.”
M Prabhakar Rao, president of National Seed Association of India told ET that, “Cotton seed price should go up by at least 5-10 percent to reach Rs. 770-800 per 450 gm pack. Cost of labour accounts for 60 percent of the cost of seed production, it has gone up in the recent past.
We feel that there is a need to increase seed price to meet the higher cost of production.”
