India, one of the earliest cotton-producing countries in the world, is facing a challenge – stagnant area, poor yields and increasing cost of production. The cotton sector, which supports 60 lakh farmers and supplies raw material to the textile industry, provides livelihood opportunities for over 10 crore people directly or indirectly.
This is happening despite widespread adoption of Bt cotton in India. Over two decades since its introduction in 2002, Bt cotton, which is “genetically modified for resistance to bollworms”, has seen rapid adoption by farmers. By 2014, it commanded over 95 per cent of India’s cotton cultivation area.
Bt cotton adoption soared from 50,000 hectares in 2002 to 8.4 million hectares by 2009, making India the world’s second-largest cotton producer and top exporter, while halving insecticide use and doubling yields.
‘Two decades of Bt cotton in India: Impact and Policy Imperatives’, a policy paper by ICAR-Central Institute for Cotton Research (CICR), throws light on the Bt cotton journey so far in India.
Quoting studies, it said there is a “significant increase in cotton yields and returns between 2002 and 2016”. Yields soared from an average of 8.4 kg per hectare to 77.9 kg per ha in some periods. This yield surge, coupled with “reduced pesticide usage”, led to lower input costs and enhanced farmer incomes.
Ground reality
Activists, however, contest the claims that Bt cotton helped reduced usage of chemicals. Kavitha Kuruganti, a leader of Anti-GMO Coalition of India, pointed out that fertiliser use had shot up from 90 kg/ha to 200 kg/ha as per the graph.
“Insecticides cost per hectare is actually higher for all years compared to ₹494/Ha in 2002-03 when Bt cotton was approved. I do not see any decline at all, and only increase,” she observed.
“Agro-chemical usage, both of pesticides and herbicides, has actually increased in cotton cultivation in India, despite all the hype about Bt cotton. The yield stagnation and declines are also apparent. Indian farmers don’t need the risk of such technologies, and need safe, lasting, affordable, farmer-controlled solutions,” she pointed out.
Ram Kaundinya, Director-General of the Federation of Seed Industry of India, calls for urgent policy reform as a top national priority to address the crisis facing India’s cotton sector, once revolutionised by Bt cotton.
Has Bt cotton failed?
In recent years, yields have stagnated and even declined, from 566 kg/ha in 2013-14 to about 436 kg/ha by 2023-24. At this level, India has the lowest yield levels among the top-5 cotton-producing countries in the world. The total production has dropped to its lowest since 2008-09.
“For the 2024-25 season, the Ministry of Agriculture estimates output at just 294.25 lakh bales of 170 kg each, the lowest in over a decade,” Kaundinya said.
The journey of Bt cotton has been fraught with challenges, presenting “mixed results due to secondary pest pressure and heightened yield variability”. A critical issue has been the “development of resistance in bollworms, particularly the pink bollworm”, leading to stagnation in productivity, the paper points out.
The estimated loss from pink bollworm alone is equivalent to 13.2 lakh bales, valued at ₹3,900 crores annually. The rise of secondary pests like jassids and thrips has necessitated increased insecticide use in some areas, counteracting the initial pesticide reduction benefits. Farmers have also observed an “increase in fertiliser use” as they pursue higher yields with Bt cotton.
The economic landscape has also seen shifts. While pesticide costs decreased, the “high cost of Bt cotton seeds and dependency on multinational corporations” have been persistent concerns for smallholder farmers.
Critics also raise concerns about the long-term sustainability of Bt cotton, citing environmental impacts on biodiversity and soil health, and socio-economic implications like income disparity and reduced human labour usage.
The paper calls for investments in research and development for novel GM solutions, particularly those with stacked traits to address pest resistance and adapt to climate change. It also called for informed policy discourse on GM cotton and comprehensive support for farmers. A focus on High-Density Planting Systems and Integrated Pest Management is suggested to bridge yield gaps and manage emerging challenges effectively.