20 years of GM crops. 20 years of GM crops in India: Cottoning on agri-innovation  

Millions of cotton growers have been agitating for a fair price of cotton for a long while. For the first time in history, the ginners, yarn manufacturers and textile industrialists have raised their voices through agitation. Actually, they have chosen this path due to the increasing prices of cotton. It is the first time that prices of cotton have gone beyond ₹10,000 per quintal during the last 75 years. In many places, various trades were done at ₹11,320, which is almost double than the minimum support price (MSP) or guaranteed price of ₹6,025. 

Prices above ₹10,000   

Increasing prices of cotton are also a concern for the country’s textile industry. Cotton textile associations across India were demanding to control the cotton prices in the open market, when it crossed ₹7,000 per quintal in October 2021. They tried their best at all levels to stabilize rates by seeking the central government’s intervention to control the open market price surge. Therefore, the textile lobby has given a signal of agitation by shutting down the units or downsizing procurements. However, the price hike is a global phenomenon driven by the demand and supply of cotton-based textile products. A small step to stabilize prices could be taken by abolishing import duty. Except this, there is a need to revive and boost the supply of cotton by fast-tracking approval of new technologies to control the widespread infestation of devastating pink bollworm and boll rot disease and efficient management of weeds to salvage losses and increase cotton production.  

Technology Fatigue  

Twenty years ago, India’s Atal Bihari Vajpayee government approved the first genetically modified Bt cotton for commercial cultivation on March 26, 2002. Then, in 2006 the Government approved double gene Bt cotton resistant to a voracious American bollworm complex including pink bollworm. But the pink bollworm, a pest of the American bollworm complex is back to haunt cotton farmers. It has lately lost its potency to pink bollworm although it continues to ward off Helicoverpa armigera, popularly known as American bollworm, a principal pest of cotton.  

However,the outbreak of pink bollworm was reported for the first time in 2013-14 in Gujarat. Then it spread to Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. By Kharif 2021, the pest infested cotton planted in three cotton growing zones in India. Pink bollworm is now damaging all areas of cotton varying from 15-30 per cent depending on the intensity of infestation. Punjab government has issued a subsidy of ₹416 crore to cotton growers only for losses due to pink bollworm in Kharif crop 2021. 

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 Moreover, last season’s heavy rains and floods harboured boll rots and sucking pests. It affected cotton production adversely. The outbreak of pink bollworm at the maturity of boll caused 25-30 per cent damage in multiple cotton picking. Due to higher cost of cultivation and the sharp decline in production, demand for price control is unjustified.

 However, the price control of cotton has always been a preferred policy intervention by the Government of India. The unending price control of cotton seeds under the Cotton Seed Price (Control) Order, 2015 is a classic example of how the short-sighted policy matters has ruined the prospects of R&D, hybridization, the introduction of new technology and product development & commercialization to tackle emerging problems of sucking pest, boll-rot and pink bollworm. Cottonseed price control has stalled introduction of much needed technologies of weed management and thus fuelled the growth of illegal market for herbicide-tolerant cotton in India. 

Farmers’ Uprising  

The rising cotton prices have become a double-edged sword for the Government. On one hand, the Government has to decide the cotton seed MRP amidst the growing cost of production and all-time high procurement price for seed companies. On the other hand, it has to deal with farmers who openly defy the law to cultivate unauthorised Bt/HT cotton seeds in the quest to access new technologies, pending approval for commercial cultivation for long time.  

Government fixes the maximum retail price (MRP) of Bt cotton seeds every year, irrespective of cotton genetics, hybrid vigour and agronomic performance under the Cotton Seed Price (Control) Order, 2015. Such lopsided policy deters R&D and product development and has impeded the growth of seed and biotech industry in India. This year, the Government has to announce MRP of cotton seeds while factoring it into the cost of production of cotton seed. It should also be adjusted for the survival of cotton seed industry while ensuring the fair price for small cotton farmers.  

Cotton farmers have benefited enormously from Bt cotton resulting in substantial increase in cotton production from 13 million bales in 2002 to 35 million bales in 2020-21. While Bt cotton continues to provide protection against American bollworm, the yield losses to pink bollworm, boll rot and sucking pest coupled with expensive weed management has become a nightmare for the cotton sector. Farmers do not want to lose even a kg of cotton to pests and diseases. Therefore, they opt for unauthorized Bt/Ht cotton seeds and illegal cultivation to secure their crop, until the Government considers approval of Bt/HT cotton pending for commercial approval.   

Technology to the rescue  

While the genetic modification is debated, the South Asia Biotechnology Centre and Agrovision Foundation with the help of PI Foundation carried out a novel experiment on mating disruption over 300 acres in Kharif 2021 in Vidarbha to control pink bollworm under the guidance of Cotton Research Institute Nagpur. Mating disruption using ‘PBKnot’ technology involving the use of gossyplure sex pheromones to prevent male insects finding females thus eliminating the possibility of egglaying and pest population. The mating disruption technique effectively controls PBW. The outcome of the field demonstration over 300 acres is encouraging as it recorded 90% reduction in losses due to pink bollworm and registered yield increase by 1.5 to 2 quintals of cotton per acre. The percentage of flower and locule damage was reduced significantly. Cotton growers need to manage the crop’s enemy such as pink bollworm and prevent losses. Unshackling cotton sector from price control and the infusion of technology could only save cotton sector in India.  

(The authors are with South Asia Biotechnology Centre, New Delhi)