Critics further point out that alternative approaches to the problem of pesticide-resistance haven't been fully explored. Says Sharma: "It is being repeatedly said that Bt cotton is a part of the integrated pest management (IPM) practices. But that ipm package has never been divulged. Scientists are not even aware of an experiment in Madhya Pradesh wherein 1,100 farmers were growing cotton without chemicals and still getting higher yields."
This mutual distrust between activists and industry/government has made the debate even more shrill and confusing for the lay person.
Meanwhile, Desai seems to be on the run.His being incommunicado has left many questions unanswered—origins of the seed, accomplices in the crime, irregularities with respect to other GM crops. Clearly, with the controversy over Bt cotton taking such a sordid turn, all this and more needs to be investigated in great detail. But that won't happen unless the dbt and the seed industry come clean.
