The acreage under Bollgard, the Bt cotton varieties of Mahyco-Monsanto Biotech Ltd., (MMB), containing the Cry 1Ac Bt gene has consistently increased. Starting with 12 Bollgard varieties on 72,000 acres in the 2002-03 season, Bt cultivation rose to 2,30,000 acres in the 2003-04 season. During the 2004-05 season Bollgard was planted on 1.3 million acres and with one more variety from Rasi, another private seed company. During the 2005-06 season there were 20 Bollgard varieties on 3.125 million acres, with two more private seed companies, Ankur and Nuziweedu, entering the field. Also, during the 2005-06 season the States of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan have officially came under Bt cultivation.
For the 2003-04 cotton season, MMB commissioned a survey of the performance of Bollgard varieties by A C Nielsen ORG-MARG who contacted 1,672 Bt cotton farmers and 1,371 conventional cotton farmers. Their report indicated that on the average, a) profits of Bt cultivation increased 78 per cent, over farmers who planted traditional varieties, b) yields increased 29 per cent, and c) pesticide use declined by 60 per cent.
The Indian Market Research Bureau International (IMRB), which is also contracted by the Government of India for market surveys, was commissioned by MMB to analyze the performance of Bt cotton during the 2004-05. The IMRB then interviewed 3,199 farmers across 20 cotton-growing districts in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. This year, IMRB has considerably increased the base and interviewed 4,779 farmers across 31 cotton-growing districts in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat, during January and February, 2006, to analyze the performance of Bt cotton during the 2005-06 season. These two surveys showed that both the small and large farmers have benefited by Bt technology.
During the 2004-05 season, with the use of Bollgard, the increase of cotton yield was 58 per cent, increasing the net profit by 60 per cent. The increased profits are also due to a reduction of 4 to 5 pesticide sprays from 15 to 20.
During the 2005-06 season, Bollgard varieties increased the yield by 64 per cent and the net profit increased by 118 per cent and the expenditure on pesticide was reduced by 25 per cent.
Although the Bt gene does not directly enhance yield, the prevention of loss of yield due to bollworm attack results in higher recovery of cotton. The IMRB survey indicates that Bollgard crop of 2005-06 helped the Indian cotton farmers to earn an additional in come of Rs. 2,100 crore. The net profit increase for Bollgard farmers is Rs. 6,727 per acre, over conventional cotton farmers.
The IMRB report, widely covered in the Indian press, says that ‘if one were to compare the input costs to realized output, it appears that, a Bollgard farmer gets 144 per cent return on investment as compared to only 83 per cent with conventional cotton.’
The significance of Bt cotton cultivation should be viewed against the fact that only 9 per cent of cotton acreage is under legal Bt cotton, while 26 per cent is under illegal Bt cotton sold as ‘Navbharat seed’, mainly in Gujarat. As per a source from the Navbharat Seed Company, reportedly the principal player in the illegal Bt seed market, the remaining 66 per cent of cotton acreage is under non-Bt cotton.
The Indian anti-tech activists rubbish any positive report and expect others to believe their own versions. While denigrating MMB’s Bollgard, the anti-tech activists have a tongue-in-cheek appreciation for illegal Bt cotton, particularly in Gujarat. There have been several activist reports that strive to prove Bt cotton a disaster in India. In the end, no matter who says what, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. The clamour of the Indian farmers for Bt cottonseed and the ever-increasing acreage under Bt cotton, are strong indicators of the good performance of Bt cotton. Obviously, there are some areas where Bt cotton’s performance was below optimal, for reasons that largely lie outside Bt technology, such as growing cotton in grossly unsuitable areas, faulty management practices, vagaries of the weather and no less the anxiety to prove the technology a failure. This is what we have to seriously look into and remedy.
About the Author:
Dr Rao is an agricultural biotechnology expert who uses his skills to highlight the potential benefits of genetically modified food. To read more about Dr Rao, go to http://www.fbaeblog.org/
PERFORMANCE OF Bt COTTON IN INDIA: THE 2005-06 SEASON
