Up to 30% of cotton area under ‘illegal’ GM hybrids, finds study

Why in the News

India permits only two Bt genes in cotton, yet up to 30% of its cotton area now grows hybrids carrying unapproved genetically modified (GM) traits. A field study commissioned by the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) and the National Seed Association of India (NSAI) puts that area at 26.2 to 29 lakh hectares of the 114.8 lakh hectares sown in 2025-26.

What are the approved and the illegal GM traits in cotton?

1. Bt cotton: Bt cotton carries genes from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a soil bacterium. Its genes make proteins toxic to bollworm pests, giving the plant a built-in insecticide.
2. Approved genes: India allows only two such genes, cry1Ac and cry2Ab.
3. Herbicide tolerance (HT): The cp4-epsps gene, from another soil bacterium, makes cotton tolerant to glyphosate, a weedkiller. Normal cotton cannot be sprayed with it, because it kills crop and weeds alike.
4. Vip3A: Also derived from Bt, this gene works differently from the cry genes and controls a broader spectrum of bollworm larvae. Neither it nor cp4-epsps is approved for any crop.
5. The takeaway: Farmers are planting traits the government never cleared, so the approval system no longer decides what India’s cotton fields grow.

What did the field study find?

1. Hotspot sampling: The Jodhpur-based South Asia Biotechnology Centre collected 227 geo-tagged seed and leaf samples from 16 ‘hotspot’ districts of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.
2. How genes were detected: Hotspots were chosen from glyphosate sales, farmer interactions and seed market intelligence. Samples went through quick lateral flow strip tests and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), a lab test detecting a gene’s protein.
3. Herbicide-tolerant gene: The cp4-epsps gene was present in 72.69% of samples, rising to 88.64% in Telangana.
4. Vip3A gene: The next-generation insect-resistance gene turned up in 53.74% of samples.

Why are farmers turning to unapproved seed?

1. Labour shortage: An acute shortage of farm labour has made manual weeding costly and hard to arrange.
2. Cost of weed control: A season of glyphosate spraying costs under Rs 1,000 an acre, against Rs 12,000 to 15,000 for manual weeding.
3. Pink bollworm: The pink bollworm now damages first-generation Bt hybrids, so farmers seek Vip3A, which controls it.

How large has the illegal seed market grown?

1. Legal seed sales fall: Sales of legal Bt cotton hybrid seed fell to 463 lakh packets in 2025-26, a sign of farmers’ shift to herbicide-tolerant Bt (HTBt) hybrids.
2. Glyphosate imports: Imports of glyphosate jumped 29% in 2025-26 alongside the shift.
3. Illegal HTBt market: The unauthorised HTBt seed market reached 82 to 88 lakh packets, conservatively worth Rs 820 to 880 crore.
4. Regulatory bypass: Farmers and a sophisticated supplier network are bypassing the country’s biosafety and regulatory approval system.

Challenges

1. Untested traits in the field: Unapproved genes skip biosafety assessment, leaving effects on soil, other crops and consumers unexamined.
2. Rising herbicide load: HT cotton spreads glyphosate spraying into a crop on which the herbicide cannot normally be used.
3. No recourse for farmers: Illegal seed has no accountable seller, so a failed crop leaves farmers without remedy.
4. Approval lagging demand: Approved traits no longer control pink bollworm or weeds affordably, pushing farmers to illegal seed.

Way Forward

1. Time-bound trait assessment: The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), India’s GM crop regulator, should assess HT and Vip3A traits within fixed timelines.
2. Action on supply networks: State agriculture departments should use the hotspot data to trace and prosecute illegal seed suppliers.
3. Strip tests at sale points: Deploy lateral flow strip tests at seed outlets in hotspot districts.
4. Cheaper legal weed control: Support mechanised weeding in labour-short districts to narrow the cost gap driving HT adoption.

Conclusion

Cotton farmers have chosen their GM traits ahead of the regulator. Whether the regulator formally assesses these traits or enforces the ban against the supplier network is the decision to watch.

Key numbers

1. Farmers sampled: Fields of 984 farmers.
2. HT gene by State: Maharashtra 70.92%, Andhra Pradesh 62.86%, Rajasthan 57.14%.
3. Vip3A by State: Maharashtra 58.16%, Rajasthan 57.14%, Andhra Pradesh 54.29%, Telangana 38.64%.
4. Illegal HTBt share of cotton area, 2025-26: Gujarat 30 to 32%, Telangana 27 to 30%, Maharashtra 25 to 28%, Andhra Pradesh 15 to 18%, Rajasthan 8 to 10%.
5. Market shift: Legal Bt seed 596 lakh packets (2022-23); illegal HTBt about 35 lakh packets (2017-18), at about Rs 1,000 a packet.
6. Glyphosate imports: 27,721 kilolitres (2024-25) to 35,642 kilolitres (2025-26).

Matching Previous Year Question

“[2021] “Bollgard I and Bollgard II technologies are mentioned in the context of: (a) Clonal propagation of crop plants (b) Developing genetically modified crop plants (c) Production of plant growth substances (d) Production of biofertilizers ANSWER: (b)”