The Hindu Business Line : Bt cotton acreage up, but no major fall in pesticide consumption seen

The Bt challenge
Cotton is the largest consumer of agrochemicals among the crops sown in India.
Pesticide sale during the 2005-2006 fiscal is estimated to be lower at Rs 3,500 crore.
As rains were continuous, the possibility of pest attacks was low.

BT COTTON

Mumbai , June 11

The acreage under Bt cotton is increasing, but for now at least, the country's crop protection industry isn't worried. It does not expect a drastic fall in pesticide consumption.

The real worry would be when over 20 million hectares of land go under genetically modified crop.

Total land under cultivation in India is around 140 million hectares. Of this, nine million hectares are under cotton cultivation and land under Bt cotton is 1.5 million hectares for the 2005/2006 season. Cotton is the largest consumer of agrochemicals among the crops sown in India.

"The consumption of insecticide has edged down because Bt cotton is not afflicted by insects such as bollworm or caterpillar," said Mr Deepesh Shroff, Managing Director, Excel Crop Care. "But the use of herbicide has gone up as there is problem of weed in Bt cotton," he said.

According to him, the pest profile is different for Bt cotton and a clear picture would emerge only after 2-3 seasons of crop.

Pesticide sale during the 2005-2006 fiscal is estimated to be lower at Rs 3,500 crore from the previous year's sales of Rs 3,800-4,000 crore, according to Mr Pradeep Dave, President, Pesticides Manufacturers and Formulators Association of India (PMFAI).

The decline in turnover is not entirely the result of the use of Bt cotton, most industry representatives said when contacted. "One of the main reasons why sales were slightly lower was continuous rains during the last sowing season leaving very little chance for pests to grow," Mr R.G. Agarwal, Chairman, Dhanuka Group, said.

Bt cotton, according to Mr Dave, also requires initial sprays of pesticides. "Bt cotton is not totally free of pesticide use. On the contrary, it requires third generation pesticides," Mr Dave said.

However, in the last season, 4-5 sprays of pesticides were lost on account of the weather. Pest attacks on many crops were much lower than normal. Pests grow and flourish during the dry spells between rains. As rains were continuous, the possibility of pest attacks was low. "Besides, it is not possible to spray pesticides during rains," said an industry official.

Even as domestic sales declined, companies have been able to increase their exports, said Mr Rajju Shroff, Chairman and Managing Director, United Phosphorus Ltd. "Lack of domestic or export demand is not the main issue but other procedural problems faced by the industry," he said. Rallis India, in its annual report of 2005-2006, said that continuous rains resulted in long pest-free crop scenario and inability of growers to undertake pesticides sprays against pests and diseases. At the current juncture, the impact of Bt cotton is yet to be felt in a major way on the sale of agro chemicals. But most agrochemical companies are aware of the challenges posed by the increase in the land under Bt cotton. Excel Crop Care said it has taken several initiatives to counter the increase in Bt cotton cultivation. These include promoting integrated pest management and integrated crop management.

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