Researchers from King’s College, London, recently conducted a study that revealed the significant losses farmers in Telangana’s Nalgonda area endure as a result of Bt cotton production.
The study showed that unpredictable monsoons caused more Bt cotton crop production failures. Ambarish Karmachedu, a researcher, published the study in the “Climate and Environment Journal.”
“Farmers across diverse caste and class divisions found themselves trapped in cultivating an input-intensive cash crop, have aggravated the risks, plunging farmers into financial losses,” noted Ambarish. “Bt cotton was envisioned as a technologically advanced, climate-resilient crop that could respond to certain pests in wet environments. The increased input costs associated with growing Bt cotton, which are frequently financed through loan connections with market intermediaries, raise the economic risks for ryots, he added.
The focus was on Kavarampur in Nalgonda, which receives 80% of its annual rainfall during the monsoon season. The village, with a population of other Backward Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes groups, was home to 155 households. In this context, 85% of farming households owned less than two hectares of land. Bt cotton farming emerged as primary occupation during the main monsoon growing season from June to October.
