PPP Special 08 - Institut für Entwicklungs- und Agrarökonomik

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Cotton is grown in three distinct agro ecological zones of India which
are characterised by different soils:
Northern zone of sandy loam soils were cotton is grown almost
entirely under irrigation,
Central zone of black soils where cotton is mostly grown under
rainfed conditions and
Southern zone of red soils where cotton is predominantly rainfed
(Basu, Paroda, 1995)
At present 125 cotton varieties and hybrids have been released so far in
India (Khadi, 2002). All four species of cotton (i.e. G. hirsutum,
G. barbadense, G. arboreum and G. herbaceum) are grown in the
different geographical zones. In addition, hybrid cotton varieties have a
big share on the total cotton area (around 36 per cent, Annex A-16) and
are mostly grown in the central and southern zones of India.
Although cotton accounts for only 5 per cent of the arable land in India,
it consumes more than 50 per cent of chemical pesticides (FAO, 2002).
The largest proportion of cotton pesticides is used to protect cotton
plants against losses due to bollworm pests.
Cultivating cotton is a high-risk business constrained by pests and
unfavourable climatic conditions. Farmers, especially marginal and
small-scale farmers who are dependent on regular season income,
often shift to other less risky crops.