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| Cotton crop in India |
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Cotton is an important cash crop in India and plays a significant role
in the national economy. While India has the largest area under cotton
in the world (representing 20 to 25% of the global area), it ranks only
third in terms of production after China and USA. Several factors are
responsible for such low yields of which losses due to insect pests like
bollworms are the most important. Farmers continue to use insecticides
repeatedly as they have no option. Bt-cotton came at a time when they
were desperately looking for an alternative and dependable control measure.
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| Maharashtra Hybrids Seeds Co Ltd (Mahyco) received regulatory
approval in March 2002, Mahyco Monsanto Biotech (India) Ltd (MMB) sold 72,000
acres of the three approved Bollgard hybrids in the first year. In 2003,
the second year of launch, the acreage under Bollgard cotton increased three-fold
to 230,000 acres. In 2004, Rasi Seeds received approval for one hybrid and
Bollgard sales rose to 1.3 million acres, a six-fold increase over the previous
year. Bollgard was planted in India by approximately 350,000 farmers in
2004. |
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| IMRB International conducted a survey to gauge harvest data
relating to 2004 plantings. They have covered more than three thousand farmers
across the six states where Bollgard is planted. The survey reconfirms the
benefits of Bollgard cotton to Indian farmers and establishes that both
large and small farmers, working in diverse agronomic conditions, have benefited
from this technology. |
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| The survey estimates that there has been an approximately
58 per cent or 2.95 quintals per acre increase in Bollgard yields, when
compared with conventional cotton. The net profit increase for Bollgard
farmers is Rs. 5950 per acre or over 60 per cent. Another key finding is
the reduction of an average 4 to 5 pesticide sprays against bollworm, which
translates into a saving of Rs 1137 per acre. |
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