Genetic seeds set to lift cotton output growth to 8.3% a year

MUMBAI: Country’s cotton production is expected to grow at 8.3% annually for the next five years, because of increased usage of Bt cotton and improved cotton processing, a government official said on Thursday.

However, the country hopes to become a net importer of cotton in about a decade, he said. “We are following the Chinese model to become a net importer of cotton and use that to turn out value-added fabrics,” JN Singh, commissioner, Union textile ministry said at a conference on Bt cotton here on Thursday.

India, the world’s third largest cotton producer is set to produce 27 million bales in the year to September 2007, he said. Cotton production is expected to reach 39 million bales by 2011-’12. Each bale is equivalent to 170 kg of cotton. Domestic consumption is expected to grow 12.3% annually to reach 37.5 million bales by 2011-’12.

“We may exceed this figure due to tremendous retail growth and per capita consumption growth, which would boost cotton consumption,” Mr Singh said. India is likely to consume 23.5 million bales in the year to September 2007. Mr Singh said yield per hectare has shot up to 500 kg from 340 kg in 2003-’04, mainly due to introduction of Bt cotton.

Bt cotton cultivation is expected to increase to more than 60% of the total area under cotton cultivation here in a few years, an official said. Bt cotton, the first genetically modified crop grown here, occupies 40% of the total cotton land now, chairman of the Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board, CD Mayee, said.

It is now grown on 3.8 million hectares of land, up from 29,000 hectares in 2002, when it was first introduced, he said.
Bt cotton accounts for 65% of the total cotton produced in India, and Gujarat and Punjab have been on the forefront of adopting Bt technology. In India, 9.1 million hectares is under cotton cultivation.