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PRACTICAL ISSUES IN CULTIVATION OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS IN INDIA Y.V.S.T. SAI and S. Jaipal Reddy NRAFORD, Thallapusalapally Village, Kesamudram Mandal, Warangal District, Andhra Pradesh, India. 1.Introduction: GEAC (Genetic Engineering Approval Committee) of Ministry of Environment and Forests of Government of India sanctioned commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) Bt (Bacillus Thuringiensis) Cotton from the Kharif season of the year 2002-03 amidst raging controversies. On one hand, certain environmentalists of the country are tooth and nail opposing the cultivation. On the other hand, companies like Mayhco-Monsanto alliance and some indigenous alliances of breeders are keen to promote cultivation of Bt Cotton. Scientists like Norman Borlaug, the pioneer of Green Revolution also expressed the need for adoption of transgenic crops in countries like India (Borlaug 2002). ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) has also recently certified that cultivation of Bt Cotton is found to be safe as per its own trials. Government, Media, Researchers and experts are busy in expressing their opinions on this issue. Andhra Pradesh is an important region as far as cultivation of cotton is considered a