Indian cotton under the lens K. R. Kranthi International Cotton Advisory Committee
THE COTTON CROP NEEDS
Good sunshine
600 mm Rain
NPK 45:12:15 Kg /ha
GOOD SEED & GOOD MANAGEMENT
To get 1000 Kg lint per hectare
India has all these in abundance
But the yields are just about 500 Kg/ha
Because of a gross
MISMATCH All inputs are channelized to produce wasteful Biomass
Instead of becoming a WORLD LEADER in cotton Indian cotton is now in a state of confusion
UNCERTAINTY & RISK
Five Big Changes 1. 2. 3. 4.
Seeds that fit Monsoon Climate resilient systems Canopy management Mechanization for high density 5. Soil health
Indian cotton is under constant attack
ACCUSATIONS 1. 2. 3. 4.
WATER CHILD LABOUR ORGANIC FRAUD? FARMER SUICIDES
CONCERNS 1. LOW YIELDS 2. RISING COSTS 3. PESTICIDES
SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE
1 WATER
22,500 L of water used to produce 1 Kg of cotton in India http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/about_freshwater/freshwater_news/?uNewsID=9208
World Water Day: the cost of cotton in water-challenged water India 135 Trillion litres for 6.0 M tonnes
20th March 2015 India exported 7.5 million bales that were produced with 38 trillion litres of water enough to supply 1.0 billion people with 100 litres of water per day for a year
4000
3720
3500
IRRIGATION WATER (Litres)
3000
used to produce one kg lint
3503 2934
2500
661
2000 1500 1000
661
500 0
9
23
31
146
183
261
349
386
Sameer Safaya et al., (2016); Kranthi, (2018)
Irrigation water used to produce 1 Kg lint Sudan Iran Uzbekistan Turkmenistan Kyrgyzstan Egypt Kazakhstan Mexico Pakistan Australia Spain Turkey Greece Colombia Vietnam World Argentina South Africa India USA Myanmar China Bangladesh Paraguay Nigeria Israel Ethiopia Kenya Bulgaria Brazil Zimbabwe Zambia Uganda Togo Thailand Tanzania Mozambique Mali Cote D’Ivoire Chad Ghana Senegal Malawi Benin Cameroon Burkina Faso
1214 Litres
India ranks low in IRRIGATION water usage 0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
1. WATER
SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE
2 CHILD LABOUR
‘India has the largest number of child labour laws in the world’
• Article 23 of the Constitution prohibits and criminalises human trafficking and forced labour. • The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act in 1976 • The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act in 1986
‘Yet, India has the largest number of child workers’ -Hindustan Times (2015)
416,460 migrant children work in hybrid cottonseed farms in India -B Gulcubuk et al, (2003)
Almost half a million children—majority majority of them girls from Dalit and tribal families work on cotton-seed cotton farms. -India India Committee of the Netherlands (2015)
Child labour is highest in cottonseed farms because 50% of the hybrid seed production cost is for labour
-Davuluri Davuluri Venkateswarlu, (2004, 2007, 2015)
20% of the workforce in Cotton in Gujarat are children –David Browne, (2015)
% Child (5-14 14 yrs) work force in cottonseed farms in India 60
53%
50 40 30 20 10 0 2006
2009
2014
-Venkateswarlu Venkateswarlu, 2015
25%
Girls & Boys (5-14 yrs)-Cottonseed Cottonseed Farms in Different States
62% GIRLS -Venkateswarlu, 2015
Hired Child labour - Cottonseed Farms in Different States
65% Hired
35% -Venkateswarlu Venkateswarlu, 2015
Family
School Drop-out -Cottonseed Cottonseed Farms in Different States
60% -Venkateswarlu, 2015
1. WATER 2. CHILD LABOUR
SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE
3
ORGANIC –FRAUD?
2009 Indian Organic cotton contains GM-Bt GM -Fraud Fraud of gigantic proportions –Sanjay Dave (APEDA) -30% 30% Fabric samples contained GMGM Lothar Kruse (Impetus)
2017 GM-Bt contamination Saldo;; Financial Times, 2017, Cotonea:: GOTS to examine
DNA TESTING METHODS ON YARN, FABRIC & APPAREL ARE STILL UNRELIABLE
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
ROW
2004
2000
1999
1998
India
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
ORGANIC COTTON (Mt) - INDIA
250000
Global
200000
150000
100000
50000
0
1. WATER 2. CHILD LABOUR 3. ORGANIC FRAUD? SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE
4 FARMER SUICIDES
FARMER SUICIDES V/S NET PROFITS -COTTON (2003-2014) Suicide No. 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0
Net Profit 30000 25000 20000 15000 10000 5000 0
Annual Average Suicides and Net Profits Ten years before and after Bt introduction Difference in suicide numbers 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 -200 -400 -600 -800
Additional profits 25000 20000 15000 10000 5000 0
400
MAHARASHTRA
4000
300
Suicide cases
3500 3000
250
2500
200
2000
150
1500
100
1000 500 0
1990
50
Suicide cases
1995
2000
Yield Kg/ha
2005
2010
3500 3000
Yield kg/ha
350
0
2015 800
AP+TELANGANA
700 600
2500
500
2000
400 1500
300
1000
200
500 0
1990
100
Suicide cases 1995
2000
Yield Kg/ha 2005
2010
0
2015
Yield kg/ha
4500
Suicide Cases
FARMER SUICIDES V/S YIELDS –NO NO LINK
5000
1. 2. 3. 4.
WATER CHILD LABOUR ORGANIC FRAUD? FARMER SUICIDES
SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE
5 LOW YIELDS
Yield Stagnant at 500 Kg/ha for 14 years 14
600 Bt Area (M ha)
Non-Bt (M ha)
Yield (Kg/ha)
12
500
10
400
8 300 6 200
4
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
0 1998
0 1997
100
1996
2
SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
WATER CHILD LABOUR ORGANIC FRAUD? FARMER SUICIDES LOW YIELDS
6 RISING COSTS
Data: Government of India
300% RISE IN PRODUCTION COSTS
80000
10000
60000
8000
40000
6000
PRODUCTION COSTS
FERTILISER COSTS
4000
20000
2000 0
0
1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 3500
30000 25000
1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014
LABOUR WAGES
20000 15000
3000 2500 2000 1500
10000
1000
5000
500
0
0
1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014
INSECTICIDE COSTS
1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014
SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE
7
1. WATER 2. CHILD LABOUR 3. ORGANIC FRAUD? 4. FARMER SUICIDES 5. LOW YIELDS 6. RISING COSTS
PESTICIDES
Whitefly Resistance 2015 Resistance Ratios
Triazophos: Bifenthrin: Imidacloprid: Diafenthiuron: Fipronil: Acetamiprid: Acephate: ICAC
2237 1400 512 347 340 331 131
Rishi & Kranthi, Unpubl.
OUTBREAK IN INDIA 2015 Losses US$ 600 million TIMES OF INDIA 2016
Pink Bollworm
ICAC
OUTBREAK IN INDIA 2017 Losses US$ 1.28 billion
INDIA-2017 -35 FARMERS DIED, 479 POISONED
Source: Down to earth, India. November 2017.
SUMMARY
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
WATER –FALSE FALSE ATTACK CHILD LABOUR – SERIOUS ISSUE ORGANIC FRAUD –BE BE VIGILANT FARMER SUICIDES -CONCERN LOW YIELDS –NEEDS NEEDS ACTION RISING COSTS –NEEDS NEEDS ACTION PESTICIDES –NEEDS NEEDS ACTION
ACTION PLAN 2025
• India has to clean the blots to create a brand ‘Indian-cotton’ • India needs to work towards sustainability (yields, water, agrochemicals, labour & farm profits) • India needs to regain its integrity through robust traceability
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
INDUSTRY
BE THE
WATER CHILD LABOUR ORGANIC FRAUD? LOW YIELDS RISING COSTS PESTICIDES FARMER SUICIDES
* SAVIOURS
*FUND RESEARCH -TO SAVE YOURSELF
Thank you Atul Ganatra
Thank you CAI
Thank you Vinay Kotak