Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

ECONOMIC IMPACT OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS ON AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION AND INDIAN ECONOMY: AN ANALYSIS

C.S. Avinash, Jagrati, B. Deshmanya, Ravindra Chavan and S.N. Vinodakumar

Abstract

India is an important grower of cotton on a global scale. It ranks third in global cotton production after the United States and China; with 8-9 million hectares grown each year, India accounts for approximately 25% of the world’s total cotton area and 16% of global cotton production. Most of the cotton in India is grown under rainfed conditions, and about a third is grown under irrigation However, yields of cotton in India are low, with an average yield of 300 kg/ha compared to the world average of 580 kg/ha. In India single gene and multiple gene BT cotton exist. From 2002-03 to 2010-11 the area under cotton was increased significantly, however from 2002-03 to 2004 the single gene cotton cultivation was not much popularized but later it played a significant role but after 2007-08 the cultivation of single gene cotton decreased but the multiple genes cultivation increased. Increase in area and yield is because BT cotton growing which has been a great boon to cotton with having area of 11 m. ha under cultivation the largest ever cotton production equivalent to 32.5 million bales a suggestible high cotton yield of more than 500 kg hectare despite significant increase in cotton hectares by 2012.