Poor productivity

Cotton farmers need genetically modified seeds

India’s cotton revolution, triggered by the introduction of transgenic Bt-cotton in 2002, seems to have fizzled out. Not only has production been stagnating at 34-36 million bales (one bale is 170 kg) for the past several years, the crop yields, too, have stopped growing. Average productivity is only around 500 kg a hectare, which compares poorly with the global average of over 800 kg. Worse still, while India leads the world in cotton acreage, it ranks 38th in productivity. The cause for this worrisome downturn is not elusive, though not enough is being done to redress it. While the old