GM-tech boosted cotton productivity: Cotton Association of India

India is predominantly an agriculture-based economy and 54.6% of the country’s total workforce is engaged in agriculture

India's cotton production increased from 307 kg per hectare to 566 kg per hectare from 2001 to 2013, a jump which the Cotton Association of India (CAI) credits to the introduction of Genetically Modified cotton technology in the country

“The production has increased from 307 kgs per hectare in 2001-02 to 566 kgs per hectare in 2013-14. The yield of cotton in India which took five decades to increase in productivity of 200 kg per hectare prior to GM cotton technology took merely five more years to achieve another 200 kgs per hectare,” CAI President Atul S Ganatra said.

“It is imperative to provide policy support to scientists and technology providers to undertake such initiatives as the country desperately needs more GM cotton-like revolutions. Popularising high-density planting, farm mechanisation and giving a thrust to research-oriented agronomy are some other important way-forwards to increase our cotton productivity at least to the world cotton average productivity mark,” Ganatra said addressing the 100th AGM of CAI in Mumbai.

India is predominantly an agriculture-based economy and 54.6 per cent of the country’s total workforce is engaged in agriculture, he said.

“Our textile industry is primarily cotton based and the ratio of use of cotton to non-cotton fibres in India is around 60:40 whereas it is 30:70 in the rest of the world. Cotton is thus one of the most important cash crops in India,” he said.

“As India produces about 6 million tons of cotton every year which is about 23 per cent of the world’s total cotton production, the country has also achieved the distinction of being a regular supplier of cotton to the world. Apart from the fact that cotton is an important agri-commodity and prime raw material for textile manufacturing in India, India also happens to be the only country in the world which grows all the four commercially cultivable species of cotton. India has been producing cotton for thousands of years and in fact, our country used to be recognised as the cradle of the cotton industry for over 3000 years,” he added.