Bunn tookover the reins of Monsanto's India affairs last month after moving out of the group's Singapore operations. On Wednesday, some 200 farmers of Urugonda village, Andhra Pradesh uprooted and burnt cotton crop as they feared it contained the terminator gene. Subsequently, the Chandrababu government directed Mahyco-Monsanto Seed Company to stop trials of its cotton seed "bollgard" in seven districts of the state.

Monsanto, along with its Indian arm, Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company (Mahyco), is in the eye of a storm over suspected `terminator seed' technology which involves introduction of a gene that terminates germiability of seeds after one-time usage.

Allaying such fears, Mahyco-Monsanto Seeds P chairman BR Barwale said, "The experiments being conducted at present are of BT gene which prevents cotton cropfrom bollworm disease and has nothing to do the so-called terminator genes. These seeds were imported three months ago and we are thoroughly convinced of BT gene's success and have been experimenting on the basis of permission given by the Bio Technology Department, the highest office in the country for such experiments."

According to Barwale, the experiment has been stopped as directed by the government. But the company is continuing its experiments in 40 centres in other states. Once the results are made available "the farmers will be convinced of the outcome from these experiments," he added.

Cotton growers in Andhra Pradesh were the worst affected by the bollworm disease. "These farmers should have been glad to have the new technolgoy that prevents such diseases. Instead, they seem to be falling prey to organised efforts of someone and are opposing the arrival of a new promising technology," said Barwale.

"We have nothing to do with the controversial technology," Bunn said, adding "even if it isdeveloped sometime in the future by anyone outside the country, the introduction of it will be entirely as per the laws of the land. We respect every country's regulations and the interests of its farmers and therefore, will not be interested in disturbing either of them."

The genetically-improved bollgard cotton crop involves usage of seeds containing a bacterium, bacillus thuringiensis, which protects the cotton from bollworm, the most common pest that attacks cotton crops.

The seed company contends that this technology will not only obviate the need for applying pesticides, but also helps improve yields significantly. As a result, farmers could reap rich profits, it argues.