Bt Cotton Briefing Paper
What is Bt Cotton?
Bt Cotton is a Genetically Modified plant that contains a gene from a bacterium (Bacillus
thurengiensis or Bt) which helps it produce the toxins needed to kill the bollworm. These toxins,
expressed as a protein from all parts of the Bt Cotton plant, bind themselves to the gut cells of
the bollworm larvae and thereby kill them.
The gene from the bacterium, along with other genes called “markers” and “promoters” are
inserted randomly into the cotton gene sequence in its cells and new plants created which
produce the toxin at all times and in all parts of the plant, as shown below. The expression of the
toxin is however not controllable.
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Cell of a cotton plant
Cell of cotton plant with
inserted bacterial gene
Toxin/Pesticide producing gene
from Bt Bacteria
Bt Cotton plant that can produce toxin
The mode of Bt gene insertion into the cotton plant is represented in the picture below.
A Gene Gun used to insert foreign genes into cells. The genes end up in random places resulting in unexpected effects.
This technology is very questionable, given its environmental, social, political and human health
ramifications and given its imprecise science especially in the context of pest management in
agriculture. The regulation of Bt Cotton in India, including its approval, is very non-transparent,
unscientific and non-comprehensive leaving much to be desired and many questions to be
answered.
Bt COTTON IN INDIA
In India, Bt Cotton is promoted under the brand name called “Bollgard” which is the product of
Monsanto and marketed by Monsanto-Mahyco Biotech Ltd (MMB Ltd). The Bollgard Bt gene has
now been inserted into many cotton hybrids of the country and the following is a list of Bt Cotton
varieties approved for various states for Kharif 2005.
ZONE
NORTH ZONE
Haryana
Punjab
Rajasthan
2002
No Approval
2003
No Approval
2004
No Approval
CENTRAL ZONE
Gujarat
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
3 hybrids
Mech 12 Bt
Mech 162 Bt
Mech 184 Bt
3 hybrids
Mech 12 Bt
Mech 162 Bt
Mech 184 Bt
4 hybrids
Mech 12 Bt
Mech 162 Bt
Mech 184 Bt
RCH 2 Bt
SOUTH ZONE
Andhra Pradesh
Karnataka
Tamil Nadu
3 hybrids
Mech 12 Bt
Mech 162 Bt
Mech 184 Bt
3 hybrids
Mech 12 Bt
Mech 162 Bt
Mech 184 Bt
4 hybrids
Mech 12 Bt
Mech 162 Bt
Mech 184 Bt
RCH 2 Bt
Total no. Approved
3
3
4
2005
6 hybrids
RCH 134 Bt
RCH 317 Bt
MRC 6304 Bt
MRC 6301 Bt
Ankur 651 Bt
Ankur 2534 Bt
12 hybrids
Mech 12 Bt
Mech 162 Bt
Mech 184 Bt
RCH 2 Bt
RCH 118 Bt
RCH 138 Bt
RCH 144 Bt
Ankur 09 Bt
Ankur 651 Bt
MRC 6301 Bt
NCS-145 Bunny Bt
NCS-207 Mallika Bt
9 hybrids
Mech 162 Bt*
Mech 184 Bt*
RCH 2 Bt
RCH 20 Bt
RCH 368 Bt
MRC 6322 Bt
MRC 6918 Bt
NCS-145 Bunny Bt
NCS-207 Mallika Bt
20
MECH 12 Bt has not been allowed extension after Kharif 2004 in the Southern States and all
three Mech Bt varieties as well as MRC 6322 Bt and MRC 6918 Bt have been disallowed in Andhra
Pradesh.
THE PROMISES and CLAIMS:
Monsanto-Mahyco Biotech, the main company promoting Bt Cotton claims that:
 Bollgard will protect the plant from bollworm attack
 Cultivation of Bt cotton will reduce pesticide use considerably and therefore, pesticidesrelated costs
 Cultivation costs will come down significantly
 Yields will increase – overall benefits for farmers
Despite Monsanto- Mahyco’s false advertisements that appear in newspapers and the TV that
Bollgard is the ultimate answer for cotton farmers, it



Cannot increase yields; increased yields are a misleading allusion being made to
supposed protection from crop loss only
Will not control secondary pests. Other pesticides have to be used to take care of aphids,
jassids, white fly etc.
It cannot increase the number of bolls or staple length of cotton
Bollgard Bt Cotton (being marketed by some companies as “Srinidhi”) has shown through many
independent and even official studies that these claims and promises are not always met. Yields
and profits were shown to be lower than conventional cotton cultivation and much lower than the
claims by the company. Pesticide use has not come down as predicted and many other problems
have begun surfacing too, expectably. However, through aggressive marketing and falsified
information, more and more farmers are being lured into Bt Cotton cultivation. However, farmers
who have incurred losses right from 2002 are still waiting for some justice to come their way.
DISADVANTAGES AND DANGERS OF USING BT COTTON
Pests will become resistant - As the insects feeding on the Bt crops are exposed to the toxin
regularly they are very likely to develop a resistance to the toxin. In short, like other pesticides,
Bt Cotton allows pests to select for resistance. In fact the company itself recognizes this problem
and suggests that 5 rows on non-Bt Cotton be sown along with every acre of Bt Cotton to delay
resistance. This strategy is likely to fail in countries like ours where Bt Cotton plots are small.
Farmers who have been growing Bt Cotton continuously for 2-3 years now are already reporting
more pest incidence on their fields. In order to ensure that the farmer becomes dependent on Bt
and to delay the inevitable resistance build up in the pests, the company is getting ready to
release Bollgard II, which contains 2 Bt genes.
Secondary pest resurgence - The bollworm is not the only pest that affects cotton. However
since Bt Cotton only targets the bollworm, there is often a pest outbreak of sucking pests such as
jassids, aphids etc. This is inevitable in nature – when one pest is targeted and controlled in an
artificial manner, other pests come back in greater numbers when nature’s balance is tilted. The
Bt Cotton companies were also conscious of this which is why they introduced a new scheme in
several states - With Bt Cotton, farmers get a pesticide of Tata Mida free!
Health consequences - Like all GM crops, the effects on human health of Bt Cotton are
unpredictable and potentially dangerous. It is not clear whether all toxicological tests that were
needed to be done to ascertain the health effects of Bt Cotton, were done in India or not. Bt is
known to create skin allergies and so on. Similarly, Bt Cotton seed cake and its oil enter the food
chain in this country as cattle feed and edible oil. The potential harmful effects are unknown.
Bt Cotton is economically unviable - An economically viable technology is one where inputs
are less, water consumption is optimal and outputs are good, providing a margin of profits to
farmers in a sustainable fashion. In the case of Bt Cotton, the total input cost is higher with no
increase in yield, as several studies point out. Pesticide use and pesticide costs have not come
down, especially given the resurgence of secondary pests. Just the cost of one packet of Bt
Cotton seed is anywhere between Rs. 1600/- to Rs. 1815/- in the open/legal markets (as
compared to the non-Bt hybrid that costs between Rs.380 to Rs 460). In the recent past in some
states, the market price for cotton has often fallen below the cost of the Bt Cotton seed itself!
Corporate Control - All GM crops including Bt Cotton are patented. This means that if anyone
uses these crops without paying the company, in the long term they can be sued and taken to
court by the company. This is how the company ensures that the farmer comes to them year
after year thereby keeping their profits secure. The company already has a 2-gene Bollgard II
ready to be disseminated once pests get resistant to Bollgard. Hundreds of crores of rupees have
been paid by poor cotton farmers to the multinational company Monsanto in the form of royalty
fees for the use of their Bollgard gene. Reports on Bt cotton prepared by the government have
shown falsification of data where in the falsified version exaggerates the yields, thereby reducing
the seed company’s compensation burden.
There have also been many disturbing observations made by Bt Cotton farmers and media in
several places and these need to be addressed by comprehensive, scientific and transparent
studies by the Department of Agriculture, Health and Environment.
Contamination of Soils - Farmers in Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have reported that
growing a second crop after harvesting Bt Cotton has been adversely affected since the soil
conditions have deteriorated due to Bt Cotton. This is very well possible given the potential effect
of the toxin from the cotton plant’s roots and its leaf litter on beneficial soil micro-organisms.
Further, during Bt Cotton cultivation, farmers have been instructed by the seed companies to go
in for monocropping and so farmers are unable to grow other crops on their fields unlike in
conventional farming.
Skin allergies and rashes - Several farmers have reported discomfort and skin allergies while
working in Bt Cotton fields. This has also been reported in cases where harvested Bt Cotton has
been stored in houses before marketing. This is not surprising given that Bt is known to cause
such effects, as shown by some studies.
Cattle deaths/illnesses - Many farmers in Andhra Pradesh reported high incidence of cattle
death and illnesses as a result of cattle eating Bt Cotton plants.
Affects/reduces the population of beneficial insects - farmers across the cotton growing
states have reported that the diversity and incidence of the beneficial insect population has
decreased in the Bt Cotton fields. Once again, this is plausible given that the endotoxin might
have a similar effect on all insects having similar gut cells, for instance.
NO LIABILITY – NO ACCOUNTABILITY
The biggest danger with Bt Cotton in India is that there is no accountability in case of failure of
the crop due to faulty technology and faulty seed. Failure is a distinct possibility since it is an
unpredictable technology and as the experience so far shows, there has been a very uneven
performance of the crop across locations, seasons and varieties. However, farmers find that they
are unable to claim compensation and their very livelihoods have been jeopardized due to Bt
Cotton cultivation. In Andhra Pradesh, there have been instances of suicides by Bt Cotton
farmers as there is no redressal mechanism available after the farmer has invested on the crop.
Andhra Pradesh bans Monsanto-Mahyco and its Bt Cotton in the state
Following the large scale failure of Bt Cotton in the state and following the refusal of the
companies to pay compensation ordered to hapless, loss-incurring farmers, the state
government decided to ban Monsanto-Mahyco in AP and its Bt Cotton varieties.
SAVE YOUR ENVIRONMENT, YOUR LIVELIHOOD AND YOUR AGRICULTURE:
SAY NO TO Bt COTTON