This paper is relevant to the impact areas in the following areas:
| Crops | Cotton |
| Traits | Insect Res. (BT) |
| Countries | India |
| Regions | Asia |
| Tags | economics, survey |
Field data collected in central India over a two-year period showed that Bt cotton hybrids reduced plant protection costs by Rs1,268/ha (Rs41 = US$1), raised the crop yield by 2.01 q/ha, worth Rs6,394/ha, and reduced the time spent by the crop in the field by 15-20 days. Cultivation of Bt cotton involved an additional cost of Rs3,720/ha, but increased the net returns by Rs2,674/ha over conventional hybrids. The higher price of seed, high risks, poor refuge management, incidence of wilt, high rates of discontinuance and poor monitoring were the major constraints reported by growers. The impact would be greater if the technology were embodied in the commonly grown hybrids. Development of transgenic varieties is one of the prime ways of reducing crop costs for the resource-poor conditions of rainfed central India.
Bt cotton performance and constraints in central India (held on an external server, and so may require additional authentication details)
CropLife International fully acknowledges the source and authors of the publication as detailed above.