Up to 30 per cent of cotton area under ‘illegal’ GM hybrids, finds study
Up to 30 per cent of cotton area under 'illegal' GM hybrids, finds study India at present allows farmers to grow GM cotton hybrids/ varieties containing only two genes - cry1Ac and cry2Ab - that are isolated from Bt, a…
Up to 30 per cent of cotton area under 'illegal' GM hybrids, finds study India at present allows farmers to grow GM cotton hybrids/ varieties containing only two genes – cry1Ac and cry2Ab – that are isolated from Bt, a soil bacterium.
Article outline
- What happened
- The key numbers
- The bottom line
Key points
- Out of the 114.8 lakh hectares (lh) area sown under cotton by Indian farmers in 2025-26, an estimated 26.2-29 lh, I.e.
- 4 min read New Delhi Oct 8, 2026 04: 33 AM IST.
- More than a quarter of the total area cultivated under cotton in India comprises "illegal" hybrids incorporating unapproved genetically modified (GM) traits, including resistance to glyphosate herbicide.
- Simply put, the market for illegal GM cotton seeds is growing, with both farmers and a sophisticated supplier network bypassing the country's established biosafety and regulatory approval system.
Out of the 114.8 lakh hectares (lh) area sown under cotton by Indian farmers in 2025-26, an estimated 26.2-29 lh, I.e. 24-30%, was of hybrids containing unauthorised herbicide-tolerant (HT) or Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) genes, according to a field-based study commissioned by the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) and National Seed Association of India (NSAI).
For now, up to 30 per cent of cotton area under 'illegal' GM hybrids, remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.
