Bt failure to hit cotton yield by 40%: Govt

Bt failure to hit cotton yield by 40%: Govt

For the first time, Maharashtra has officially admitted that cotton
yield is likely to reduce by nearly 40%. Bt cotton failure in more than 4
million hectares of land has reduced cotton yieldfrom 3.5 million
quintal to 2.2 million quintal.


A report sent by the state agricultural department to the Centre
states that the estimate of the net direct economic loss to cotton
farmers in the state will be nearly Rs6,000 crore, whereas accumulated
losses are likely to cross more than Rs20,000 crore due to a steep rise
in cultivation costs.
Farmers and activists in the state’s cotton
belt say the rise in the prices of Bt cotton seeds, fertilizers,
pesticides and labour since last year has had a huge impact. “The
agrarian crisis sweeping through the state due to Bt cotton failure has
only widened. Unlike when cotton crop failure was reported only from
Vidarbha and Marathawada, reports of such crop failure are now coming in
from Khandesh in north Maharashtra, too,” said Kishore Tiwari of farm
advocacy group Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti.
National Crime Records
Bureau reveals that the number of farmer suicides in Maharashtra are
likely to cross 5,000 this year in comparison to the 3,500 last year.
The figures last year were, in fact, the highest among all states in
India.
This is the third year in a row that Bt cotton failure is
being reported in Mahahrashtra. Last year, the state paid Rs2,000 crore
to 4 million cotton farmers as compensation. Unlike earlier when dry
land farmers were affected, even areas with adequate irrigation are
facing a crop loss this year.
Ravindra Shinde, a farmer from
Dhamane village in Dhule, had taken a loan like several others, and is
now worried about repaying it. “I spent Rs50,000 per hectare this year
but Rs30,000 last year. Now with crops failing, I don’t know what to
do?” he said.
According to state records, Maharashtra grows Bt
cotton in 4.2 million hectares of land. This is the largest among all
cotton-producing states. Even thenit has been reporting lowest cotton
yield of about 5 quintal per hectare since 2006. The latest official
estimate says this is likely to fall to 3 quintal per hectare. “This
means a net loss of more than Rs38,000 per hectare!” points out Tiwari,
who plans to lead debt-trapped farmers in march to the legislative
council on December 11 during the winter session at Nagpur.
“We
demand a compensation of Rs20,000 per hectare and fresh crop loans for
every farmer for the ensuing kharif season. We also want food security
and free health education, along with the implementation ofland
development, soil enrichment and watershed development under Mahatma
Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act,” he said.
He
appealed to the government not to mock the farmers. “We hope the state
relief packages actually help farmers this time instead of just
benefiting contractors, politicians and multinational agro majors like
it has in the past.”


Source:-
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_bt-failure-to-hit-cotton-yield-by-40pct-govt_1769428