Bt cotton to cover even larger area this year

The desi variety of cotton is also registering yields better than the national average

After a surge in the area under Bt cotton last year, cotton cultivation under this high-yielding and genetically-modified seed is set to go up further this year.

Acreage under Bt cotton declined significantly from over 95 per cent of the total area under cotton in 2013-14 to below 90 per cent in 2016-17. This happened due to stagnation in yield in the latest Bollgard variety and pest attacks on Bt cotton seeds. 

Increase in the overall area, however, benefited Bt cotton more than the conventional, hybrid and desi varieties.

Of the total cotton area at 12.44 million hectares for 2017-18, the acreage under