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GM Cotton and the Decline of Native Crops in Vidarbha

GM Cotton and the Decline of Native Crops in Vidarbha
GM Cotton and the Decline of Native Crops in Vidarbha

Something subtle yet significant has shifted in Vidarbha’s farmlands. Fields once filled with time-honoured grains are now growing something new, with changes both seen and unseen beginning to surface across villages.


It’s not a scene that invites immediate alarm, but if you sit with it long enough, questions start to appear.



A New Crop on Familiar Soil


When genetically modified Bt cotton was introduced in India in 2002, it arrived with a promise of less pest damage and better yields.


For a region like Vidarbha, where farming is deeply reliant on nature and incomes can swing with the seasons, the promise held weight. Bt cotton’s resistance to bollworms meant fewer pesticide sprays and, ideally, fewer expenses.

For many farmers, that sounded like a step forward.


Within a few years, Bt cotton had spread across the region. Reports show that by 2016, it covered nearly 70 percent of the cropped area in Vidarbha.


The scale of change was vast and quick, and while some farmers found early gains, the ripple effects were more complex.



Traditional crops like jowar, bajra and rice have long been staples here. They are less glamorous, perhaps, but crucial to household diets and local economies.

They’re also better suited to the region’s rain-fed conditions, often requiring fewer resources and inputs. But as cotton became the centrepiece of farming plans, these native grains began losing ground, quite literally.


Farmers who previously grew cotton alongside jowar started dedicating their entire land to Bt cotton. With higher short-term returns, the switch made sense.


But over time, the support system that upheld native crops began to fray. Fewer farmers growing them meant fewer local seed exchanges and declining market interest. It wasn’t a deliberate abandonment, but a gradual one, shaped more by economics than intent.



Not Just Cotton

Impact of BT Cotton on Traditional Crops in Vidarbha
Impact of BT Cotton on Traditional Crops in Vidarbha

The shift to Bt cotton also influenced other decisions on the farm. As challenges with cotton arose such as unpredictable prices, rising input costs, and water stress, some farmers didn’t return to jowar or bajra.


Instead, they turned to other cash crops like soybean and maize. These offered an alternative income stream, and in some cases, better returns than cotton.

But they too required significant inputs and were no replacement for the balance that traditional mixed cropping once offered.


The pattern reflects a broader change that agriculture in Vidarbha is no longer just about growing what suits the land or feeds the family. It’s about managing risk in a system where prices fluctuate, rains are unreliable, and policy support is uneven. Native crops, despite their hardiness, often don’t fit neatly into this model.


The consequences are starting to show. Soil health, for one, can suffer when diversity decreases. Mixed cropping and rotation help maintain fertility and manage pests, but when the same crop is planted repeatedly, problems build up.



Bt cotton’s water needs also compete directly with rain-fed crops, especially during dry spells. In such seasons, the traditional grains, once resilient under limited rainfall, now struggle against a system pulling resources away from them.

There’s another concern, one that doesn’t always make headlines but quietly matters. Genetic purity. While jowar, bajra and rice are not genetically modified in India, the presence of GM crops in the same environment introduces the possibility of cross-contamination.


It’s a technical issue, but its implications are practical. Farmers who save seeds or trade with neighbours depend on crop integrity.


Any uncertainty can disrupt those practices, adding yet another reason why some may stop growing native varieties altogether.


When Progress and Preservation Collide


The GM seed debate often lands in extremes. It’s either hailed as a saviour or painted as a threat. But for farmers in Vidarbha, the truth lies somewhere in between.


Bt cotton did bring relief to many, particularly in the early years, with reduced pesticide use and better yields. It offered income at a time when farming incomes were under pressure. But like most solutions, it came with trade-offs.


For example, while pesticide use dropped initially, over time newer pests began to emerge. These were the ones not deterred by Bt technology.

This meant more spraying again, and more costs. Seed prices too remained high, and because Bt cotton seeds are often sold as hybrids, farmers had to buy new seeds each season. This broke the age-old tradition of saving and reusing seeds, increasing dependency on commercial seed companies.



Meanwhile, the government and institutions often promote cotton as a priority crop, with procurement systems and subsidies geared toward it. Traditional grains don’t always receive the same support, despite their nutritional and ecological value. This policy gap has contributed to their marginalisation.


There’s also a cultural dimension that rarely gets mentioned. Crops like jowar and bajra are woven into local food habits.

They’re drought-tolerant, nutritious, and adaptable.

When they disappear from farms, they gradually disappear from kitchens too, replaced by market-bought alternatives. Over time, it alters not just diets, but knowledge systems of how to grow, cook, store, and use these grains.



Efforts to reverse these trends exist. Some NGOs, agricultural bodies and the Government of India are encouraging farmers to go back to native seeds, offering training and market support.


There are also initiatives to grow organic cotton or revive traditional cotton varieties better suited to the region’s soil. But these are small in scale and often struggle against the larger current of market-driven agriculture.


The challenge isn’t that GM seeds exist. It’s that their introduction wasn’t accompanied by a broader strategy to protect what already worked.

Traditional crops didn’t fail. They were simply outpaced by newer options that offered quicker gains. Without incentives, infrastructure or consistent support, they were left behind.


Looking Beyond the Field

Mixed Cropping in Vidarbha
Mixed Cropping in Vidarbha

At its core, the question is less about science and more about priorities. What kind of farming system do we want to support? One that maximises short-term gains through high-input crops? Or one that balances profit with ecological and cultural sustainability?


In Vidarbha, this question is still being answered, field by field. Some farmers continue with Bt cotton because it remains profitable in certain seasons. Others are exploring alternatives, driven by rising input costs and water concerns.


A few are trying to return to mixed cropping, rediscovering the value of jowar and bajra not just as crops, but as parts of a resilient system.

If market mechanisms begin to favour millets or if climate concerns push for low-input farming, native crops might make a stronger return.



But that will require more than nostalgia or goodwill. It needs policies that support diverse farming, research that values local knowledge, and a shift in how success in agriculture is defined.


After all, cotton, modified or not, doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It grows in soil once nurtured by grains that understood its rhythm, that made do with what the skies offered, and that fed more than just bodies. They fed a way of life.


Whether that way survives depends on the choices we continue to make.



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The NewsDirt is a trusted source for authentic, ground-level journalism, highlighting the daily struggles, public issues, history, and local stories from Vidarbha’s cities, towns, and villages. Committed to amplifying voices often ignored by mainstream media, we bring you reliable, factual, and impactful reporting from Vidarbha’s grassroots.

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