UPSC Darpan

Agriculture & FoodGS38 October 2026

Up to 30% of India’s Cotton Area Grows Illegal Herbicide-Tolerant Bt Hybrids, Study Finds

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The news

New Delhi. Of the 114.8 lakh hectares sown to cotton in 2025-26, an estimated 26.2–29 lakh hectares (24–30%) carried hybrids with unapproved genetically modified traits, The Indian Express reported on October 8. The study, commissioned by the Federation of Seed Industry of India and the National Seed Association of India and done by the South Asia Biotechnology Centre, Jodhpur, tested 227 samples from 984 farmers’ fields in 16 districts of four States. India allows only the cry1Ac and cry2Ab genes, which kill bollworms. The cp4-epsps gene, which lets cotton survive the weedkiller glyphosate, was found in 72.69% of samples (88.64% in Telangana); Vip3A, a newer Bt gene effective against pink bollworm, in 53.74%. Farmers spend ₹750–850 an acre on glyphosate sprays against ₹12,000–15,000 on manual weeding. Legal Bt seed sales fell from 596 lakh packets in 2022-23 to 463 lakh.

The chain in one line: First-generation Bt weakens against pink bollworm and weeding labour grows scarce → no new trait is approved → an illegal supplier network sells herbicide-tolerant and Vip3A seed → a quarter of cotton area adopts it

Static syllabus linkage

  1. GEAC approves GM crops under the Environment (Protection) Act. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, under the Environment Ministry, functions under the Rules, 1989 framed under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and appraises the environmental release of GM organisms. Bt cotton (Bollgard I) was approved in 2002 and Bollgard II in 2006; no herbicide-tolerant trait is approved.
  2. Seed law sits separately with the Agriculture Ministry. The Seeds Act, 1966 regulates seed quality, and the Seeds (Control) Order, 1983, under the Essential Commodities Act, licenses dealers. In July 2024 a two-judge Supreme Court bench split on GM mustard’s approval and asked the Centre to frame a national GM policy.

Why UPSC loves this

  1. Farm biotechnology is a recurring GS3 theme. The syllabus lists “e-technology in the aid of farmers” and “Awareness in the fields of … bio-technology”. Illegal HTBt joins biosafety, farm labour and seed markets in one case.

Prelims nuggets

  • The GEAC functions under the MoEFCC through the Rules, 1989 framed under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
  • Bt cotton is India’s only GM crop approved for commercial cultivation; its genes come from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis.
  • The cp4-epsps gene makes a plant tolerant to glyphosate; Vip3A is a Bt gene active against a broader range of bollworm larvae.
  • The Seeds (Control) Order, 1983 is issued under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.

Analysis

  1. Farmers are responding to the price of labour, not defying science. Hand weeding costs up to fifteen times more than spraying, and workers are scarce in peak season. When a technology saves that much, demand finds a supply, legal or not. The 29% jump in glyphosate imports, to 35,642 kilolitres in 2025-26, shows how fast the practice has spread.
  2. Lens — Innovation and safeguards: a ban without enforcement is no safeguard. Biosafety review exists to test risks such as herbicide-resistant weeds, gene flow and heavy glyphosate use. Yet the trait now grows without testing, labelling or quality checks, and farmers buying ₹820–880 crore of illegal seed have no remedy if it fails. A thoughtful officer would conclude that time-bound, evidence-based review of HT traits, with conditions on herbicide use, protects more than a prohibition the market ignores.
  3. The seed industry is both messenger and interested party. Seed associations whose legal sales are falling commissioned the study, and its samples came from hotspot districts picked by glyphosate sales, which may raise the share found. Yet the scale matches the fall in legal packets, so it deserves an official survey, not dismissal.

Possible Mains question

The spread of unapproved herbicide-tolerant cotton shows that India’s GM regulation lags behind farmers’ needs. Critically examine. (15 marks, 250 words)

Model approach

  1. Directive — Critically examine. Weigh regulatory failure against the trait’s risks; give a verdict.
  2. Introduction — a quarter of cotton outside the law. Cite 24–30% of 114.8 lakh hectares.
  3. Labour costs and pest resistance drive demand. Value addition: ₹750–850 spraying against ₹12,000–15,000 weeding per acre.
  4. Illegal seed carries untested risks and no remedy. Flowchart: no approval → illegal seed → no testing → weed resistance and farmer losses.
  5. Conclusion — evidence-based approval with enforcement. Regulate the trait rather than pretend it is absent.

Administrator's brainstorm

As District Agriculture Officer in Yavatmal, you find most cotton farmers using HTBt seed. What do you do?

Penalising thousands of farmers would punish the end of a supply chain, so I would act against sellers, with inspectors testing dealer stocks before sowing. Through Krishi Vigyan Kendras I would warn farmers about glyphosate safety and weed resistance, and report the scale to the State and the GEAC.