Monsanto pulls new GM cotton seed in India row

MONSANTO has pulled an application seeking Indian approval for its next generation of genetically modified, pestresistant cotton seeds, it said yesterday, sharply escalating an ongoing row with the Indian government. The US agribusiness giant said it withdrew plans to introduce the seeds in July over regulatory “uncertainty”, including a proposal to force crop developers to share their technology with domestic firms, which sparked an outcry. Monsanto has also clashed fiercely with New Delhi over government plans to slash the amount paid by local firms in cotton-seed royalties by about 70 per cent, threatening in March to pull out of India over the issue.