COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF Bt AND NON Bt COTTON-AN ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS

Cotton is the major commercial crop amongst all cash crops in India and provides livelihood to more than 60 million people.Cotton crop is infested by various pests causing significant yield losses therefore Bt cotton was introduced in India.This study attempts to examine growth in area, production and productivity of cotton and also analyze the Comparative economics, sustainability and resource use efficiency.Finding of the study shows that Area,production and productivity of cotton had higher and positive growth during post introduction of Bt-cotton compared to the pre introduction period.Farmers cultivating Bt cotton incurred relatively higher cost of cultivation per acre compared to non-Bt farmers.However,net returns realized were also higher with Bt cotton farmers.Resource use efficiency analysis reveal that efficient use of labor,fertilizers and seeds had contributed the most to the difference in returns between Bt and non-Bt cotton cultivation. Sustainability analysis indicated that Bt-cotton was more sustainable with a higher and stable sustainability index. High yield, less pest attack and lower pesticide cost were the major motivating factors for adoption of Bt-cotton.