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Since the start of Bt cotton cultivation in the country (2002-03), the average income of farmers has increased by almost four-fold. Also, in the major cotton-growing States, the average yield has gone up by 4.95 per cent, the area under cultivation by 4.91 per cent, and production by 9.25 per cent.
Hybrid Bt cotton seeds have had a “significant influence” on farming choices in Andhra Pradesh. A study conducted by the Council for Social Development (CSD) for Bharat Krishak Samaj has found that the growth in cotton area and productivity in the State between 2002 and 2011 increased by 9.45 per cent and 2.32 per cent, respectively.
Cultivation of hybrid Bt cotton has seen the average income of farmers increasing by almost six times, with average net returns at Rs 64,114 a hectare.
CSD conducted the study in the nine cotton growing States of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. It surveyed 1,050 farmers and 300 agricultural labourers, with inputs from secondary data sources such as the Ministry of Agriculture and the Economic Surveys.
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