Despite successive droughts, revived pest attacks on hybrid cotton crops and governments dissuading farmers away from cotton crops, Indian hybrid seed makers pin their hopes on alternative crop seeds to help suffice any possible drop in sale of hybrid cotton seeds.
Hybrid seed industry representatives admit a likely fall of around a tenth in sale of cotton seeds. The hybrid cotton seed sales fell to 4.5 lakh crore packets last year from 5.2 crore packets in the previous yea ..
Seedsmen Association's President M Harish Reddy said, "Such a move could lead to a fall in sale of cotton seeds. But it won't affect our business as farmers will take up cultivation of other crops and there will be demand for seeds that'll drive our business."
Of the total production capacity of seed manufacturers, nearly 50 per cent is dedicated to alternate crop seeds while the rest is for BT cotton production. With changing market scenario, they hope to increase production of altern ..
National Seed Association of India's Vice president MG Shembekar said, "Shifting from production of one crop seed to the other is not a big task and we are equipped with the required machi nery. It's just that it will happen over a period of time and not instantly."
The Indian hybrid seed industry is currently estimated at around Rs 13,000 crore and is growing at 10-15 per cent a year with BT cotton accounting for nearly 45 per cent of the market.
The country saw a record growth in cotton crop acreage last year at about 13 million hectares, the highest cotton acreage globally with more than a third of global cotton area, says a report by ICAR-Central Institute for Cotton Research. However, the production is likely to drop to 28.5 million pound bales in 2016 from 29.3 million pound bales last year on account of marginal fall in acreage to around 11.8 million hectares, says a report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
"The governments' move would not have any major impact on the industry as there is always a plus or minus 7 per cent variance in the cotton industry's business. Also, farmers wouldn't immediately shift to cotton production and the transition would take time," says Kailash Gandhi, director with KRG Strategic Consultancy.
A hybrid seed industry representative, who did not want to be named, said the profitability among some of the alternate crops like soybean was quite attractive at close to 20 per cent, much higher than cotton seed now wherein the selling price was capped coupled with payment of several charges including royalty.
Experts also view that the move by the government to encourage farmers take up alternate crops would be successful only when it has a concrete plan to procure such alternate cro.
Hybrid seed industry representatives admit a likely fall of around a tenth in sale of cotton seeds. The hybrid cotton seed sales fell to 4.5 lakh crore packets last year from 5.2 crore packets in the previous yea ..
Seedsmen Association's President M Harish Reddy said, "Such a move could lead to a fall in sale of cotton seeds. But it won't affect our business as farmers will take up cultivation of other crops and there will be demand for seeds that'll drive our business."
Of the total production capacity of seed manufacturers, nearly 50 per cent is dedicated to alternate crop seeds while the rest is for BT cotton production. With changing market scenario, they hope to increase production of altern ..
National Seed Association of India's Vice president MG Shembekar said, "Shifting from production of one crop seed to the other is not a big task and we are equipped with the required machi nery. It's just that it will happen over a period of time and not instantly."
The Indian hybrid seed industry is currently estimated at around Rs 13,000 crore and is growing at 10-15 per cent a year with BT cotton accounting for nearly 45 per cent of the market.
The country saw a record growth in cotton crop acreage last year at about 13 million hectares, the highest cotton acreage globally with more than a third of global cotton area, says a report by ICAR-Central Institute for Cotton Research. However, the production is likely to drop to 28.5 million pound bales in 2016 from 29.3 million pound bales last year on account of marginal fall in acreage to around 11.8 million hectares, says a report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
"The governments' move would not have any major impact on the industry as there is always a plus or minus 7 per cent variance in the cotton industry's business. Also, farmers wouldn't immediately shift to cotton production and the transition would take time," says Kailash Gandhi, director with KRG Strategic Consultancy.
A hybrid seed industry representative, who did not want to be named, said the profitability among some of the alternate crops like soybean was quite attractive at close to 20 per cent, much higher than cotton seed now wherein the selling price was capped coupled with payment of several charges including royalty.
Experts also view that the move by the government to encourage farmers take up alternate crops would be successful only when it has a concrete plan to procure such alternate cro.