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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Domestic cotton now gives Bt variety a run for its money-Jayashree Bhosale

Domestic cotton now gives Bt variety a run for its money-Jayashree Bhosale

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published Published on Jul 11, 2012   modified Modified on Jul 11, 2012
-The Economic Times

PUNE: Ravindra Daftari, chairman , Daftari Agro, said, "We used to sell 2,000 packets of desi seeds. But this year, sales went up to 9,000 packets. Next year, we plan to increase the production of desi seeds by four times." 

Mahabeej, the Maharashtra government's seed corporation, has undertaken a programme with Punjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (PKV), Akola, to increase the production of desi cotton seeds from 200 quintals this year to 1,500 quintals next year. "There was a sudden increase in demand for desi cotton seeds this year," said PKV chief cotton scientist Dr BR Patil. 

"We had reduced the production of desi cotton seeds considerably as almost all farmers had shifted to Bt. But in the last one year, we have noticed an increase in demand for the desi varieties," said an official of Mahabeej. Bt cotton did not give good returns to Maharashtra farmers. 

A large percentage of cotton farmers in Rajasthan have still not adopted the Bt variety because they are happy with the desi variants. A similar trend, though on a smaller scale, has started emerging in Maharashtra because farmers find the desi varieties to be more resistant to drought besides being more remunerative. 

Rajasthan is the only state where 40% farmers have stuck to desi cotton due to lack of irrigation facilities. In Maharashtra, almost 99% of area under cotton has shifted to Bt varieties. But this year, there is a shortage of desi seeds due to a sudden spurt in demand. Though the overall sale of desi cotton seeds is minuscule , there is a definite trend of growing demand. 

Of the 5.67 lakh hectare cotton area in Rajasthan in 2011-12 , 58% was under Bt cotton and the rest under desi varieties. "Except for the irrigated tracts of Ganganagar and Hanumangarh, Rajasthan farmers from rain-fed areas prefer local varieties such as Bikaneri and RST9 because hybrid seeds require a lot of water," said an official of the Rajasthan agriculture department. 

Wardha-based Daftari Agro sells desi seed varieties in Mahalast year due to non-conducive weather conditions coupled with a fall in market prices of cotton. The production cost of Bt cotton is higher as it needs more water and fertilisers. The state had to give a historically high compensation to cotton farmers for the losses they suffered due to a fall in productivity. 

A recent study commissioned by Bharat Krishak Samaj showed that cotton yield in Maharashtra (Rs 336 kg per ha) was the lowest as compared to Rs 943.67 kg per ha in Tamil Nadu and 659.33 kg per ha in Gujarat, the first and second ranking states in terms of productivity. 

Farmers and agricultural scientists say the yield of Bt cotton grown in water deficient conditions is almost equal to the yield of desi seeds. A shortage of short-staple cotton in India lifted its price compared to the longer ones last year. Desi varieties mostly yield short- to medium-staple cotton.


The Economic Times, 11 July, 2012, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/commodities/domestic-cotton-now-gives-bt-variety-a-run-for-its-money/articleshow/14816164.cms


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