Survey shows Bt cotton edge over hybrid seeds

A survey conducted by IMRB International on the performance and satisfaction levels of farmers with regard to Bt cotton seed presents a diverse picture on the status of cotton farming in the country, which largely influenced the impact of transgenic technology even as the figures speak more or less in its favour.

The survey conducted in 23 districts across the six major cotton growing states involving a sample of over 900 farmers showed a mean satisfaction score of 4.36 for Bt cotton as compared with 3.96 in the case of non-Bt hybrid seed on a scale of 5.

The return on investment was found to be higher for Bt cotton except in the case of Gujarat where non-Bt hybrid cotton outperformed its counterpart.

Disclosing the findings of the survey here, Vivek Khattar, associate vice-president of IMRB Business and Industrial Division, said though the benefits of Bt cotton farming was very well established across the regions, the yield levels and profits had also been determined by several variables, including farmers' awareness on farm practices and market prices besides assured irrigation.

According to the survey, profit as percentage of investment with regard to hybrid non-Bt cotton and Bt cotton stood at 62 per cent and 73 per cent in Maharashtra, 80 per cent and 78 per cent in Gujarat, 44 per cent and 57 per cent in Andhra Pradesh and 42 per cent and 49 per cent in Tamil Nadu-Karnataka cluster assuming average rate of Rs 1,600 per quintal between November 2006 and March 2007.

Wherein the per acre investment and return with regard to Bt cotton is as varied as that of normal hybrids from one state to the other.

The total expenditure and return per acre in the case of Bt cotton in Maharashtra was the lowest among the six states, which stood at Rs 5,271 and Rs 9,120 respectively while the same in the case of Gujarat was Rs 9,348 and Rs 16,640 respectively.

According to Khattar, the lower yields in Maharashtra are mainly due to predominantly rainfed conditions under which Bt cotton is grown and lack of awareness among the farmers.

Though the per acre investment is comparable between Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh (Rs 9,290), the return per acre in Andhra is lower by Rs 2,000 at Rs 14,560, according to the report.

Incidentally, 73 per cent of the Andhra farmers covered by the survey stated the lower market price as the cause for financial distress while 62 per cent of the sample in Gujarat cited high input costs as the cause of financial distress.

While 60 per cent of farmers in Maharashtra cited similar reason as voiced by the majority of farmers in Andhra for the cause of distress among the cotton farmers, the opinion of farmers of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka cluster was almost equally divided between the reasons of lower prices and higher input costs, whereas 56 per cent of farmers interviewed in Madhya Pradesh have cited higher input costs as the cause for their indebtedness.

Interestingly, between the non-BT and Bt farmers, the complaint of lower minimum support price was more in the case of the latter.

In a unique case, Gujarat, where the satisfaction levels of farmers between non-Bt hybrids and certified Bt cotton were found to be as closer as 4.41 and 4.60 on a scale of 5 respectively, the per acre return on non-Bt stood at Rs 15,040 with a per acre profit of Rs 6,670, which is much higher than the per acre profit of Rs 5,270 earned from Bt cotton in Andhra, the second highest figure in this category among the six states.

Per acre profit from Bt cotton worked out to be at Rs 3,849 in Maharashtra, Rs 7,293 in Gujarat, Rs 4,973 in Tamil Nadu-Karnataka cluster.

The per acre productivity of Bt cotton was found to be as varied as the rest of the figures though it was on the higher side compared with the yield levels of non-Bt hybrids.

The per acre productivity of Bt cotton was found to be as low as 5.7 quintals per acre as compared with 4.2 quintals per acre from non-Bt hybrids in Maharashtra and as high as 10.4 quintals per acre as compared with 9.4 quintals from non-Bt hybrids in Gujarat.

The average productivity figure of Bt cotton crop stood at 8.3 quintals per acre as compared with 6.8 quintals from non-Bt hybrid cotton crop.The survey was commissioned by the All India Crop Biotechnology Association.