The activism of individuals in conservation of indigenous rice has had no impact on cotton cultivators who have eschewed the use of indigenous cotton varieties completely. Vivek Cariappa, an organic farmer from Sargur told The Hindu that H.D. Kote had been the bastion of organic cotton until recently, but most farmers have switched over to the Bt Cotton variety.
One of the reason is the disappearance of desi cotton seeds from the market, which has been flooded with patented Bt Cotton and the lack of a concerted effort to conserve the indigenous variety. “The movement has collapsed in H.D. Kote ,” said Mr. Cariappa.
