Demand to lift ban on HT-Bt cotton cultivation

28-Nov-2025 01:00 PM

Nagpur. Although HT-Bt cotton is considered harmful to the environment and therefore its commercial cultivation is banned across the country, thousands of farmers still produce it illegally. The government is aware of this, but no appropriate steps are taken to stop it.

Farmers' organizations have alleged that growers who secretly cultivate HT-Bt cotton are being exploited in various ways.

If companies supply fake or substandard seeds, farmers cannot complain against them because its cultivation is already declared illegal. In view of this, the government should lift the ban on the cultivation of this special variety of cotton to protect growers from economic exploitation.

It is noteworthy that after Gujarat, Maharashtra is the second largest cotton producer in the country, where cotton is cultivated on a large scale in the Vidarbha region.

In the Yavatmal district of this division, cotton has been sown on approximately 5 lakh hectares, but due to the uncertain and erratic weather and rainfall, farmers are suffering huge losses.

In recent years, cotton yields have declined significantly due to various reasons. Furthermore, cotton prices are experiencing significant fluctuations, while the cost of cotton cultivation is regularly increasing.

Given the disparity between the cost of conventional cotton and the market price, many farmers are now prioritizing the cultivation of HT-Bt cotton.

Therefore, the government should also implement a liberal policy in this direction. This year, the share of HT-Bt cotton in the total cotton production area in the Vidarbha division has increased to nearly 40 percent.