{"id":76204,"date":"2026-06-08T18:25:30","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T12:55:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=76204"},"modified":"2026-06-08T18:26:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T12:56:09","slug":"cotton-mission-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/08-06-2026\/cotton-mission-india","title":{"rendered":"India&#8217;s Cotton Mission and Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Governance; GS3\/Science and Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In 2026, the Union Cabinet approved the <strong>Mission for Cotton Productivity <\/strong>with an outlay of Rs 5,659 crore, <strong>to run from 2026-27 to 2030-31.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The intent of the Mission for Cotton Productivity is <strong>to raise lint productivity from 441 kg per hectare (in triennium ending (TE) 2025-26) to 755 kg\/ha by 2031.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Experts argue that India&#8217;s Mission for Cotton Productivity may struggle to revive yields and exports <strong>unless next-generation genetic technologies and science-led reforms are adopted.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Introduction of BT Cotton in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In 2002, the government approved the <strong>commercial cultivation of Bt cotton <\/strong>as cleared by the<strong> Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC).\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>first Bt hybrids<\/strong> incorporating the<strong> cry1Ac gene<\/strong> were approved to resist the <strong>bollworm complex.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>By 2006, GEAC had approved<strong> Bollgard II, <\/strong>a second-generation hybrid with two stacked genes.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>Bt Cotton<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Bt cotton<\/strong> has two alien genes from the <strong>soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) <\/strong>that allows the crop to develop a protein toxic to the common pest <strong>pink bollworm.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Till now, it is the<strong>only Genetically Modified (GM) crop that is allowed in India.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Impact on Cotton production<\/strong>: It rose from 13.6 million bales in 2002-03 to 39.8 million bales in 2013-14, a <strong>193% increase.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Annual output grew at 10%, and area expanded by 56%, from 7.6 million hectares (mha) to 11.9 mha.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India became the largest producer and second-largest exporter of cotton.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"dae5dc\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"505\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-56.png\" alt=\"Bt cotton\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-76205\" style=\"--dominant-color: #dae5dc; width:416px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-56.png 650w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-56-300x233.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Further Hybrids: <\/strong>After Bollgard II, India developed the next generation: Bollgard II with Roundup Ready Flex, and Bollgard III.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>These variants\u00a0 incorporate three stacked genes with herbicide-tolerant traits designed to address evolving pest resistance and rising weed-management costs.<strong> But they were not released.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Decline in Production:<\/strong> Since 2014-15, <strong>production has declined at an average annual rate of 2%.\u00a0 <\/strong>India went from a <strong>net cotton exporter to importing 4 million bales in 2025-26.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Reasons for Decline in Cotton Production and Related concerns<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Regulatory hurdles for GM technology: <\/strong>New-generation cotton technologies were not commercialized due to regulatory uncertainties and delays.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Price controls on cotton seeds: <\/strong>Government-imposed seed price caps and reduction of trait fees reduced incentives for private-sector R&amp;D and innovation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Declining productivity: <\/strong>Cotton yields have stagnated due to pest resistance, climate stress, and lack of access to advanced technologies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Increasing imports: <\/strong>India has shifted from being a major exporter to importing cotton because domestic production growth has slowed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Develop Climate-Resilient Cotton Varieties: <\/strong>Invest in research for drought-tolerant, pest-resistant, and high-yielding cotton varieties suited to changing climatic conditions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthen Public-Private R&amp;D Partnerships: <\/strong>Encourage collaboration between research institutions, universities, and the private sector to accelerate the development and dissemination of advanced technologies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Enhance Seed Quality and Availability: <\/strong>Ensure timely access to certified, high-quality seeds through robust seed production and distribution systems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthen Extension Services: <\/strong>Improve last-mile delivery of scientific knowledge, best practices, and weather advisories to cotton farmers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Improve Cotton Value Chains: <\/strong>Modernise ginning, processing, storage, and marketing infrastructure to enhance cotton quality and global competitiveness.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Implement the Cotton Productivity Mission Effectively: <\/strong>Focus on outcome-based implementation, regular monitoring, and convergence with existing agricultural schemes to achieve productivity and income gains.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A combination of technological innovation, supportive regulation, climate resilience, and efficient value chains is essential to restore India&#8217;s cotton productivity and strengthen its position in the global textile economy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: IE<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> In 2026, the Union Cabinet approved the Mission for Cotton Productivity with an outlay of Rs 5,659 crore, to run from 2026-27 to 2030-31.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> About <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The intent of the Mission for Cotton Productivity is to raise lint productivity from 441 kg per hectare (in triennium ending (TE) 2025-26) to 755 kg\/ha by 2031.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Experts argue that India&#8217;s Mission for Cotton Productivity may struggle to revive yields and exports unless next-generation genetic technologies and science-led reforms are adopted. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/08-06-2026\/cotton-mission-india \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76204"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76204\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76207,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76204\/revisions\/76207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}