India urgently needs new varieties of cotton seeds and plants acclimated to the soil and climate to increase cotton production, according to a recent report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour, Skill Development, and Textiles.
According to data from the Ministry of Textiles, India possessed the world’s largest cotton acreage in 2022–2023—13,061 lakh hectares. However, the country’s productivity yield was only 447 kg/hectare, whereas the USA’s production was 1,065 kg/hectare.
The committee noted that the fundamental agroclimatic constraints on cotton production in India appear to be well understood.
The committee concluded from the research that, in addition to Bt+ and other comparable seed qualities, the nation desperately needs cotton seed and plant kinds adaptable to our soil and climate.
The panel assigned the Ministry of Textiles to investigate strategies for increasing cotton productivity. The problem with genetically modified seeds, it was said, is that farmers had to buy them every year, putting them in a debt cycle that worsens as labor, fertilizer, and pesticide costs climb without increasing yield.
The committee voiced concerns that an infusion of inexpensive cotton from elsewhere could arise from the government’s plan to abolish customs duties on all cotton imports.
