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Maize variety GM-6 brings £55 million of benefits to more than 300,000 resource-poor farmers in Western India

GM-6, a new maize variety developed through innovative Bangor crop breeding research (pioneering the use of participatory plant breeding) was released in three states in Western India between 2002 and 2005. Since its release, GM-6 cultivation has rapidly grown to a cumulative area exceeding 2M hectares, of which 54% (more than 1M ha) was during 2008–2013, with a major positive impact on the welfare and prosperity of at least 330,000 households per year. Because of its advantage under drought and on poor soils, GM-6 has average grain yields 28% higher than the best available alternative varieties, providing 360,000 t of additional food grain during 2008–2013 with a total net present value to these farm households of an average of at least £9M per year. For more information contact Prof John Witcombe or Dr Katherine Steele.