Bt cotton seeds favoured by farmers: study

Hyderabad, Jan 31 (UNI) A study by IMRB International, a market research company has revealed that Bt cotton seeds had significantly higher yields and the quality of cotton was superior compared to non-hybrid as well as hybrid non-Bt seeds.

The study was aimed at understanding the awareness, perception and acceptability of Bt cotton seeds among cotton famers in India.

Associate Vice-President, IMRB Business and Industrial Research Division, Vivek Khattar told newspersons here today.

The survey conductd by the IMRB clearly indicated a continued preference for Bt technology among farmers who had adopted the technology.

He said over 81 per cent of the farmers surveyed across all the states and 99 percent of famrmers surveyed in Andhra Pradesh would recommend use of certified Bt cotton to other farmers.

He said the findings revealed that low minimum support price and high input costs were some of the key reasons for financial distress faced by farmers in the cotton growing regions of India.

With respect to farmers' experience with Bt cotton, the survey indicated that farmers using certified Bt cotton seeds showed higher levels of satisifaction compared to farmers using non-hybrid and hybrid non-Bt seeds.

He said the study was conducted in 23 districts across the five key cotton growing states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

He said higher yield, good quality cotton production, higher pest resistance and higher return on investment were some of the key reasons for farmers favouring certified Bt cotton seeds.

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