After increasing the area under Bt cotton cultivation this year, the genetically modified seed yields are expected to make farmers more profitable in cotton cultivation. During the year 2013-14, the total area of cotton in Bt was more than 95 percent in which, during the year 2016-17, there was a huge fall and it fell to 90 percent. This was due to stagnation in the production of the latest bollgard variety and pest attacks on Bt cotton.
However, the increase in the total area has benefited Bt cotton in comparison to conventional cotton, hybrid and indigenous varieties, in 2017-18, the total area of cotton was 1.244 million hectare. In this, the area of Bt was 1.107 million hectare. which is 89 percent of the total area.
According to textile commissioner Kavita Gupta, farmers prefer to grow Bt cotton for higher yield. Whereas in states like Rajasthan, farmers have given priority to the indigenous variety which has provided higher yields. Recently, the cotton advisory board has reduced cotton production from 2017-18 to 3.7 million bales from 3.77 million bales.
The attack of Pink Bollworm on cotton crop in Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh is considered to be responsible for this loss. Meanwhile, the Textile Commissioner has asked the Ministry to help the farmers in adopting the worksheets of the world-class adopted for cotton cultivation.
