What Happened
- The Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare confirmed in a Lok Sabha reply that pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) has developed resistance against Bt protein in cotton.
- Pink bollworm is becoming a major pest in all cotton-growing areas across India.
- Currently, 96% of cotton cultivated in India is Bt cotton, predominantly the Bollgard II variety containing two Cry proteins.
- The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) has approved limited field trials for next-generation pink bollworm-resistant GM cotton in Hisar, Haryana.
- Non-compliance with the mandated refuge strategy by farmers and seed companies has been identified as a key driver of resistance development.
Static Topic Bridges
Bt Cotton and Cry Protein Technology
Bt cotton is genetically modified cotton containing genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that produce insecticidal Cry proteins toxic to certain lepidopteran pests. India approved the first Bt cotton hybrids (Bollgard I, containing Cry1Ac protein) in 2002 through GEAC, making it the first and only commercially approved GM food crop in India. Bollgard II, introduced in 2006, contains two Cry proteins — Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab — providing dual-mode protection against bollworms.
- Bt cotton approved for commercial cultivation: 2002 (Bollgard I); 2006 (Bollgard II with stacked Cry1Ac + Cry2Ab genes)
- Developer: Originally Monsanto (now Bayer); licensed to Indian seed companies as hybrids
- Pink bollworm developed field-evolved resistance to Cry1Ac by 2009 in central India, and to both Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab by 2014
- States most affected: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, with yield losses of up to 30%
- India has not approved any other GM food crop — Bt brinjal was placed under an indefinite moratorium in 2010 by the then Environment Minister
Connection to this news: The ministerial confirmation that pink bollworm has developed resistance to the Cry proteins in Bollgard II validates years of scientific warnings about the breakdown of Bt cotton's pest protection, raising questions about the regulatory framework for managing transgenic crop technology.
GEAC — Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee
GEAC is the apex body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) responsible for approving the commercial release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in India. Established under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, it functions through Rules 1989 (Rules for the Manufacture, Use, Import, Export and Storage of Hazardous Micro-Organisms, Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells).
- Established under: Rules 1989 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
- Chaired by: Special Secretary/Additional Secretary, MoEFCC; co-chaired by a representative from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT)
- Functions: Approves large-scale field trials, environmental release, and commercial cultivation of GMOs
- Other regulatory bodies in the GM framework: IBSC (Institutional Biosafety Committee), RCGM (Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation under DBT), and State Biotechnology Coordination Committees
- The Supreme Court-appointed Technical Expert Committee (TEC, 2012) recommended a 10-year moratorium on field trials of Bt food crops; this recommendation was not fully adopted
- GEAC was earlier called the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee; renamed to "Appraisal" in 2010
Connection to this news: GEAC's recent approval of field trials for next-generation pink bollworm-resistant GM cotton in Hisar, Haryana indicates the regulatory body is facilitating the development of improved Bt varieties to address the resistance crisis, even as the broader debate on GM crop regulation continues.
Insect Resistance Management (IRM) and Refuge Strategy
The refuge strategy (or refuge-in-a-bag) is a scientifically designed resistance management protocol requiring farmers to plant a specified proportion of non-Bt cotton alongside Bt cotton fields. The purpose is to maintain a population of susceptible (non-resistant) insects that can mate with any resistant individuals, thereby diluting resistance genes and delaying the evolution of resistance in pest populations.
- GEAC mandated refuge requirement: minimum 5 border rows of non-Bt cotton around Bt cotton fields, OR 20% of the total Bt cotton area planted with non-Bt cotton (the non-Bt portion may be treated with insecticide sprays, but not with Bt-based ones)
- Compliance in India has been extremely poor — seed companies were required to supply refuge seed packets, but enforcement was weak
- The "high-dose/refuge" strategy is the global standard for insect resistance management in Bt crops, recommended by the US EPA and adopted internationally
- Poor compliance is identified as "one of the main reasons why the pink bollworm rapidly developed resistance to Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab toxins"
- Alternative strategies being explored include gene pyramiding (stacking more Cry genes), RNAi-based approaches, and sterile insect technique (SIT)
Connection to this news: The ministerial acknowledgement of widespread resistance directly implicates the failure of refuge compliance — both by farmers (who often planted only Bt cotton to maximize returns) and by seed companies (who did not adequately supply or promote non-Bt refuge seeds).
Key Facts & Data
- Bt cotton area in India: approximately 96% of total cotton area (predominantly Bollgard II)
- India's cotton production (2024-25): approximately 25.4 million 480-lb bales on 12.4 million hectares
- Bt cotton first approved: 2002 (Bollgard I); Bollgard II (stacked): 2006
- Pink bollworm resistance timeline: Cry1Ac resistance by 2009; dual Cry1Ac + Cry2Ab resistance by 2014
- Yield losses from pink bollworm: up to 30% in central and south Indian cotton-growing states
- Refuge requirement: 5 border rows of non-Bt cotton, or 20% non-Bt area
- Top cotton-producing states: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh
- GEAC established under: Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (Rules 1989)