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COTTON CULTIVATION IN INDIA

2020 APR 15

Mains   > Agriculture   >   Crops   >   GM Crops

IN NEWS:

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has severely affected exports of cotton yarn, fibers and garments from India.

COTTON:

  • Cotton is one of the most important cash crops in India and accounts for around 25% of the total global fibre production.
  • Cotton constitutes 59% of the raw material consumption of the Indian textile industry.
  • It plays a major role in sustaining the livelihood of an estimated 5.8 million cotton farmers and 40- 50 million people engaged in related activities such as cotton processing and trade.

AGRONOMY:

  • Climatic requirements for the growth of cotton:
    • Temperature: Between 21-30°C
    • Rainfall: Around 50-100cm.
    • Soil Type: Well-drained black cotton soil of Deccan Plateau.
  • India has the distinction of having the largest area under cotton cultivation in the world i.e. about 126.07 lakh hectares which is 37% of the world area.
  • Approximately 62% of India’s Cotton is produced on rain-fed areas and 38% on irrigated lands.
  • In India, there are nine major cotton growing states- Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Besides, cotton is also grown in the States of Tamil Nadu and Odisha.
  • Cotton cultivation has also gained momentum in small areas of non-traditional States such as Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tripura, etc.

INDIA’S POLICY TOWARDS COTTON PRODUCTION:

  • Phase 1 ranging from 1980 to 2002 when India persisted with hybrids while other countries shifted to High-density Planting (HDP) of compact varieties of cotton.
  • Phase 2 since 2002 when the genetically modified Bt Cotton was introduced in the country. These now cover over 95% of the area under cotton.

ISSUES IN INDIA'S COTTON FIELDS:

  • Low Productivity: India’s Productivity is estimated at 454.43 kg/ha even with Bt Cotton. It is only one third of other major cotton producing countries. The evidence shows that the High-Density planting model has higher productivity than planting hybrids or Bt Cotton

  • Irrigation: Approximately 62% of India’s Cotton is produced on rain-fed areas. The long-duration hybrids of India is more prone to changes in the rainfall pattern. The shorter duration variety could have reduced the dependence on irrigation.
  • Insect attack: The long duration hybrids are more vulnerable to damage from insect pests. Also, there were reports of the resurgence of pink bollworms in India’s cotton fields.
  • Seed production: For GM Cotton, farmers are forced to purchase seeds for each planting, as the seeds are designed to last for less than a year. This gives an unfair advantage for seed companies in regulating the price and availability of seeds.
  • Cost: The input cost is high resulting from seed purchase, fertilizers, ensuring irrigation etc.

EXPERIENCE WITH BT COTTON:

  • The genetically modified pest-resistant variety of cotton was officially commercialised in India in 2002. The aim was to protect farms from bollworm attacks, while decreasing the use of insecticides.
  • Indian cotton production received a big boost from 130 lakh bales in 2002 to 370 lakh bales in 2017 with the introduction of Bt cotton. Increased cotton availability helped Indian cotton exports to flourish and reach $8 billion in 2017.
  • But the increase in production is not an outcome of improvement in productivity. It can be attributed to a range of factors like increase in area of production, including increased fertiliser use, better irrigation and extra attention by farmers who spent more money on expensive Bt cotton seeds.
  • Resistance to Bt has increased and now the Bt toxins are not toxic to sap-sucking insect species such as jassids, aphids, whiteflies, thrips, mealybugs, mirid bugs etc. These has caused crop failures and consequently increased pesticide usage.
  • Bt cotton has disallowed farmers from saving cotton seed, instead they are forced to buy new expensive hybrid seeds each year. Higher risk involved with Bt Cotton has led to many suicides by cotton farmers.

WAY FORWARD:

  • Planting model: Adopting High density planting of compact varieties with proper pest-management approaches can increase productivity. For example, some of the major cotton-producing countries such as Brazil (until 2012) and Turkey (up to the present) have achieved high productivity without the use of GM cotton by using alternative pest-management approaches.
  • Technology: Before extending next generation traits like Bt3, Bt4, Herbicide Tolerance etc impact assessment studies must be carried out.
  • Irrigation: Expansion of irrigation under Prime Minister’s Krishi Vikas Yojana is critical to overcome the dependence on rain water for irrigation.
  • Seed: Public sector production of seeds can check monopoly and profiteering by private companies.
  • Policy: There is a need for better consultation in policy to deliberate upon the inclusion of socio-economic considerations while assessing risk associated with genetically modified crops.