Every extra rupee invested by farmers in Bt Cotton seeds has fetched a return of Rs 11.6, translating into a benefit of Rs 7,000 crore to India’s cotton economy, according to a national study by market research firm IMRB International. IMRB covered 500 villages in all the nine states where Bt Cotton is grown and interviewed 6,000 farmers.

The study, whose findings are available to The Indian Express, indicates that the perception of cotton farmers committing suicides due to high cost of Bt Cotton seeds is a myth, IMRB Research Director Sanjiv Chaudhary pointed out.

Focusing on the economic as well as socio-economic impact of Bt Cotton’s advent, the study found that apart from significant financial returns, biotech seeds have increased the quality of cotton as well as the quality of cotton farmers’ lives.

“The very farmers who till yesterday were struggling to make ends meet are today thinking of buying a tractor or more land, educating their children and marrying off their daughters,” Chaudhary said.

Eighty seven per cent of Bt Cotton farmers believe they have a better life, while 84 per cent believe they spend less time on the field and are less worried about the crop. From the point of view of farm suicides, however, what is significant is that 67 per cent of farmers are glad they can rid themselves of accumulated debt, thanks to their increased income.

“History will never spare anyone,” Chaudhary said about farmer suicides. “The first farmer suicide case in cotton was in 1995, when Bt Cotton was not even introduced. More than 95 per cent of farm suicides are simply due to debts,” he said. In fact, the BT Cotton technology has helped the average farmer, as the improvement in lint quality means Indian farmers will now get the same price which prevails in the international market, he added.

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