Bollgard cotton has resulted in a rich harvest for farmers across the six central and southern cotton growing states of India.

IMRB International interviewed 3199 farmers across 20 cotton growing districts in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. The survey reconfirms the benefits of Bollgard cotton to Indian farmers and establishes that both large and small farmers, working in diverse agronomic conditions, have benefited from this technology

The survey estimates that there has been an approximately 58 per cent or 2.95 quintals per acre increase in Bollgard yields, when compared with conventional cotton. The net profit increase for Bollgard farmers is Rs. 5950 per acre or over 60 per cent. Another key finding is the reduction of an average 4 to 5 pesticide sprays against bollworm, which translates into a saving of Rs 1137 per acre.

Andhra Pradesh (AP) stands out among the six Bollgard cotton growing states as the one that enjoyed the greatest benefit from Bollgard. The net profit increase for AP farmers was highest at 551 per cent, with pesticide use against bollworms being reduced by about 5 sprays.

Net Profit (Rs. per acre) – Bollgard Vs Conventional cotton:

According to Mr. Nikhil Rawal, Sr. VP & Executive Director, IMRB International, "This survey was an eye-opener for us. We were expecting the new technology to be superior, but what we did not expect was the extent of difference between Bollgard and non-Bt on all important parameters such as yield, pesticide spray reduction and farmer profitability."

After Maharashtra Hybrids Seeds Co Ltd (Mahyco) received regulatory approval in March 2002, Mahyco Monsanto Biotech (India) Ltd (MMB) sold 72,000 acres of the three approved Bollgard hybrids in the first year. In 2003, the second year of launch, the acreage under Bollgard cotton increased three-fold to 230,000 acres. In 2004, Rasi Seeds received approval for one hybrid and Bollgard sales rose to 1.3 million acres, a six-fold increase over the previous year. Bollgard was planted in India by approximately 350,000 farmers in 2004.

According to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) Report 2004,"Biotech crops were grown by approximately 8.25 million farmers in 17 countries in 2004, up from 7 million farmers in 18 countries in 2003. Notably, 90% of the beneficiary farmers were resource-poor farmers from developing countries, whose increased incomes from biotech crops contributed to the alleviation of poverty." The Report goes on to state "Bt cotton has the potential to reduce the requirements for cotton insecticides in India by half, equivalent to over 10,000 tons of insecticide active ingredient annually at a cost of $170 million. Bt cotton can also have a positive impact on the environment, economics of production and productivity and the health of up to 4 to 5 million small farmers that grow cotton in India"

IMRB International (A part of the WPP Kantar Group of Companies) was established in 1971 and has over three decades of market research experience. Associated with a group of international market research companies such as the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) and Millward Brown International, IMRB International operates out of fifteen cities in India and has associate offices in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.

MMB is a 50:50 marketing JV between Mahyco and Monsanto India Ltd. MMB has co-licensing agreements with a number of Indian cotton seed companies to bring Bollgard to Indian farmers.