Why India’s falling cotton production is a worry

Source: The post is based on the article “Why India’s falling cotton production is a worry” published in “The Indian express” on 11th September 2023.

Syllabus: GS3- Agriculture- Marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints.

News: The article discusses how India’s cotton production grew due to Bt technology, which protects against certain pests. However, a pest called pink bollworm developed resistance, reducing cotton yields. Solutions like “mating disruption” using pheromones are now being explored to control this pest and ensure continued cotton production.

What’s the significance of cotton in India?

Cotton’s Triple Role: Cotton in India serves three critical roles: providing food, feed, and fiber. It’s a vital crop for both agriculture and the textile sector.

Breakdown of Cotton Components: When farmers harvest cotton, known as Kapas, only about 36% is the white fluffy fiber. The remaining consists of seeds (62%) and waste (2%). These seeds are a crucial source of vegetable oil and feed cake.

Cottonseed’s Role in the Market: Cottonseed oil ranks third in India’s domestically produced vegetable oils, following mustard and soyabean. Additionally, cottonseed contributes the country’s second-largest feed cake, with soyabean taking the top spot.

Cotton in Textiles: Cotton dominates the textile industry in India, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the country’s total textile fiber consumption.

How did Bt technology impact cotton production?

Introduction to Bt Technology: India adopted Bt technology, using genetically modified (GM) cotton hybrids embedded with genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt. These genes were toxic to certain pests.

Significant Boost in Production and Yield: From 2000-01 to 2013-14, thanks to Bt cotton, India’s cotton production soared from 140 lakh to 398 lakh bales. The average per-hectare lint yields also more than doubled during this period, increasing from 278 kg to 566 kg.

Subsequent Yield Decline: Post-2013-14, however, cotton production and yields started declining. By 2022-23, they fell to 343.5 lakh bales and 447 kg/hectare respectively.

Challenge of the Pink Bollworm (PBW): Bt cotton initially provided protection against pests like the American bollworm and the pink bollworm. But by 2014, the pink bollworm had developed resistance to Bt proteins, causing widespread infestations and negatively impacting yields.

How can the Pink Bollworm (PBW) be controlled?

Ineffectiveness of Traditional Insecticides: Conventional insecticides like profenofos, emamectin benzoate, and deltamethrin had limited efficacy against PBW larvae, which negatively impacted lint quality and yields.

Mating Disruption as a Solution: An alternative method called “mating disruption” uses Gossyplure, a pheromone from female PBW moths. The artificial version of this pheromone, found in products like PBKnot and SPLAT, confuses male moths, preventing them from mating with females. The Central Insecticides Board & Registration Committee under the Agriculture Ministry has approved this two mating disruption products.

Results from Field Experiments: Field experiments with PBKnot technology led to a 90% reduction in PBW mating, which translated to 25% higher kapas yields.