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| Relevance: General Studies Paper III (Agriculture, Cropping Patterns, Science and Technology in Indian Economy) | Source: Union Cabinet / Press Information Bureau, 2026 |
| In May 2026 the Union Cabinet approved the Mission for Cotton Productivity with an outlay of ₹5,659.22 crore (2026-27 to 2030-31). It aims to lift lint yield from 440 kg/ha to 755 kg/ha and reach 498 lakh bales by 2031. The push comes after a decade of falling output that has turned India — once a top cotton exporter — into a net importer. |
1 · The Decline Behind the Mission
- Output has shrunk: production fell from about 398 lakh bales (2013-14) to roughly 297 lakh bales (2024-25), sliding at nearly 2% a year.
- From exporter to importer: India now buys cotton from abroad (around 40 lakh bales) to feed its textile mills.
- Slipped to second: India is now the world’s second-largest producer (behind China), despite having the largest cotton area at about 11 million hectares.
- The core weakness: among major producers, India has one of the lowest yields — big on land, small on output per hectare.
2 · The Yield Gap (kg of lint per hectare)
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| Bt cotton is a genetically modified cotton that carries a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, letting the plant make its own protein to kill bollworm pests. Lint is the cleaned cotton fibre, and in India one bale = 170 kg of lint. |
3 · Core analysis
A. How science built the boom (2002–2014)
- 2002 – Bt cotton: the Centre cleared India’s first pest-resistant hybrids (the cry1Ac gene).
- 2006 – Bollgard II: the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) approved a two-gene version with stronger resistance.
- The payoff: production jumped about 193% (136 to 398 lakh bales) and yield rose from 302 to 566 kg/ha, making India a global leader.
B. How price controls reversed it
- Seed price caps: from 2006, states capped seed-packet prices, squeezing the trait fee (royalty) paid to seed developers.
- 2015 Cotton Seed Price (Control) Order: cut the trait fee by about 74% (₹186.95 to ₹49); by 2020 it was scrapped entirely.
- Innovation stalled: with no way to recover research costs, firms withdrew next-generation seeds (Bollgard III, herbicide-tolerant types) from GEAC review.
C. The result: a technology trap
- Stuck on old tech: while rivals moved to multi-gene seeds, Indian farmers rely on decade-old hybrids that pests have learnt to beat.
- Twin failure: private research dried up, and public research was not scaled up to fill the gap.
4 · Way forward
| Make IP rules predictable. Revisit the Cotton Seed Price (Control) Order so developers can recover costs and bring new seeds back to India. |
| Scale up public research. If the private sector stays out, fund bodies like the ICAR-Central Institute for Cotton Research at a scale that closes the gap. |
| Deliver the mission’s tools. Push high-yielding, climate-resilient, pest-resistant seeds and the 5F vision (Farm-Fibre-Factory-Fashion-Foreign), with Kasturi Cotton Bharat for quality branding. |
| Make biosafety clearance certain. Give GEAC a transparent, time-bound process that protects the environment while giving investors confidence. |
| The Mission’s targets are bold, but money alone cannot raise yields on outdated seeds. India’s cotton story shows that technology — not just spending — drove the earlier boom. Unless the policy either rewards private innovation or properly funds public research, the country risks staying a permanent net importer of a crop it once exported. |
| UPSC Value Box | ||||||||||||||
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| Quick Revision |
- Mission for Cotton Productivity — ₹5,659.22 crore; approved May 2026; runs 2026-27 to 2030-31.
- Implemented jointly by Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Ministry of Textiles.
- Targets: yield 440 → 755 kg/ha; production 498 lakh bales by 2031; ~32 lakh farmers.
- In India, 1 bale = 170 kg of lint.
- India = world’s second-largest producer; largest area (~11 million ha) but low yield.
- GEAC (under MoEF&CC) is the apex body for GM crop clearance.
- Bt cotton approved 2002; Bollgard II in 2006.
- 5F vision: Farm-Fibre-Factory-Fashion-Foreign.
| Mains Practice Question |
| India’s cotton stagnation is a story of policy reversing the gains of technology. Critically examine, and assess whether the Mission for Cotton Productivity can succeed without reforming the seed-pricing and biosafety regime. (15 marks · 250 words) |
Structure hint:
Introduction — open with the yield gap (440 kg/ha vs 755 target / global leaders above 2,000)
Body Part 1 — the technology-led boom (Bt cotton 2002, Bollgard II 2006, +193% output)
Body Part 2 — the policy reversal (price caps, 2015 Control Order, withdrawal of next-gen seeds)
Body Part 3 — what the Mission offers and its blind spot (seed IP + GEAC certainty)
Way Forward — IP predictability, scaled public R&D, transparent biosafety clearance
Introduction — open with the yield gap (440 kg/ha vs 755 target / global leaders above 2,000)
Body Part 1 — the technology-led boom (Bt cotton 2002, Bollgard II 2006, +193% output)
Body Part 2 — the policy reversal (price caps, 2015 Control Order, withdrawal of next-gen seeds)
Body Part 3 — what the Mission offers and its blind spot (seed IP + GEAC certainty)
Way Forward — IP predictability, scaled public R&D, transparent biosafety clearance
Must mention:
Bt cotton / Bollgard II ·
GEAC ·
Cotton Seed Price (Control) Order, 2015 ·
Trait fee ·
5F vision & Kasturi Cotton Bharat
Bt cotton / Bollgard II ·
GEAC ·
Cotton Seed Price (Control) Order, 2015 ·
Trait fee ·
5F vision & Kasturi Cotton Bharat
Conclusion hint: Close by arguing that durable self-reliance needs technology and a predictable regulatory-cum-pricing framework, not spending alone.
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