The introduction of Bt cotton has not only propped up the cash crop?s productivity, but also encouraged youngsters to take up farming, according to a survey done by the Indian Society for Cotton Improvement (ISCI).

The survey, covering as many as 2,400 Bt cotton growers from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab, found that ?more than 50% of respondents were from the lower-middle age group ranging from 21 to 40 years with a mean average age of 42 years.?

According to the survey titled ?Adoption and Uptake Pathways of Bt Cotton in India? and co-authored by CD Mayee and Bhagirath Choudhary of ISCI, half of Bt cotton users were small holder farmers belonging to other backward castes (OBCs) in Maharashtra.

?This confirmed that an overwhelming number of farmers, especially from the lower strata, including OBC, SC and ST category, were adopters of Bt cotton and hence no different

to farmers in the general category.

This reinforces the fact that Bt cotton is a scale-neutral technology and offers similar levels of protection irrespective of farmer class,? the co-authors of the survey has noted.

The survey also revealed wide-spread planting of Bt cotton, occupying 95% of total cotton area, in the rain-fed, semi-irrigated and irrigated areas.

The widespread adoption of Bt cotton has taken place during the last 8-9 years in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh and 6-7 years in Punjab.

In the last one decade, Bt cotton hybrids increased cotton yield from 4-5 quintals a hectare to 8-10 quintals a hectare in rain-fed conditions. In irrigated areas, cotton yields showed a steep increase from 10 – 12 quintals a hectare to 22 – 24 quintals, as per the survey.

Bt cotton was the first genetically modified agricultural crop to be introduced in the country.

After its launch, cotton production has more than doubled between 2002 and 2013.

According to ministry of agriculture data, cotton production rose sharply from 9.9 million bales (mb) in 2001-2 to 34 mb in 2012-13.

The area under cotton during the same period increased from 7.6 million hectare (mh) to 11.6 mh.

Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, while releasing the findings of survey, said: ?The unprecedented high adoption of Bt cotton is due to substantial and significant benefits to farmers; successful control of the dreaded bollworm pests; benefits to industry and benefits to the nation from enhanced exports and coincidentally protection of the environment through substantial reductions in pesticide use.?

The survey also stated that a substantial decrease of 82.8% in insecticide sprays was realized while achieving 99.3% control of the American bollworm pest in the cotton farming after introduction of Bt

cotton.

The farmers in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab reported 78%, 82% and 98% reduction in insecticide sprays, respectively.

The highest farmers profit was reported in the Punjab at R53,139 a hectare followed by R39,786 in Andhra Pradesh and R32,885 in Maharashtra, the survey

stated.