Illegal HtBt cotton acreage continues to rise

Hyderabad: Cotton farmers have spent about Rs 500 crore buying herbicide-tolerant cotton seeds (HtBt). Cotton cultivation using HtBt seeds is considered illegal as the government has not yet approved its use. This year, the HtBt crop is likely to be about 20 per cent of the total extent (about 24 lakh hectares of 120 lakh […]

Hyderabad: Cotton farmers have spent about Rs 500 crore buying herbicide-tolerant cotton seeds (HtBt). Cotton cultivation using HtBt seeds is considered illegal as the government has not yet approved its use. This year, the HtBt crop is likely to be about 20 per cent of the total extent (about 24 lakh hectares of 120 lakh hectares) of cotton cultivation, said Federation of Seed Industry of India Director General Ram Kaundinya.

The HtBt seeds are largely produced in Gujarat, and their consumption is highest in Maharashtra while Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are seeing increasing use of HtBT, he said. “There is no progress on the regulatory regime front. Unapproved cotton varieties could be about 20 per cent of the total area. The seeds are produced majorly in Gujarat and sold in Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh,” he said.

The insect-resistant Bt cotton proved successful in protecting cotton crops from bollworms. Following this, the productivity of cotton increased manifold. Before BT, India produced 13 million bales of cotton. The production now has gone up to 36 million bales. Now, herbicide tolerance as a weed-control trait is also getting popular. However, it was never approved.

“It is not difficult to test the fields and see if there is an unapproved trait. It can be tested right at the beginning as well. The moment a leaf comes up, one can analyse it and come to a conclusion. But that is not taking place. Afterwards, once supplies start coming to the market, it is not easy to control them,” the lobby body official said.

“Most of the farmers are buying the unapproved variant seeds for weed control. The government should act quickly with respect to approvals. Once a legal variety is available, farmers will not buy illegal varieties. They will get phased out in two to three years,” he said. Farmers now are paying about Rs 1,500 per packet for the unapproved version while the approved version is priced at Rs 760 per packet of 450 gram. Farmers use three packets for two acres of crop. About 75 lakh packets were sold last year.

“For each packet, the farmers paid about Rs 700 extra. Farmers in Telangana could have spent about Rs 50 crore extra. The maximum is in Maharashtra where farmer bodies are supporting the use of the unapproved variant,” said Kaundinya adding that extra costs incurred are recovered in the form of savings in weed management costs.
Situation in Telangana

Cotton is doing well in Telangana. This year, the Telangana government is encouraging cotton and the overall acreage could increase by 10 per cent, like across the country. Cotton prices have touched record Rs 12,000 per quintal. “The prices cannot remain at the same levels for a long time. Also, they will not come back to Rs 5,000-6,000 levels. The acreage will go up and the production will increase. International supplies are restricted. With the war, there could be some more pressure on the prices,” he said.

In Telangana, cotton planting starts in Adilabad in June. It spreads to Warangal and other districts as rains move downwards between June and July. The textile industry wants 55 million bales by 2028. India is exporting five million bales. The government needs to come up with new technologies as well as cultivation methodologies like high-density planting systems to increase cotton production. Mechanical picking will follow next as picking costs account for about 20% of the revenues, he said.