Bt cotton, pink bollworm, and the political economy of sociobiological obsolescence: insights from Telangana, India

Abstract

After genetically engineered Bt cotton lost its effectiveness in central and southern Indian states, pink bollworm infestations have recently returned to farmers’ fields and have substantially shifted their vulnerability context. We conceive Bt cotton as a neoliberal technology that is built to protect farmers only temporarily from Lepidopteran pests while ultimately driving the further concentration of capital. Based on data from a representative survey of the three major cotton-producing districts of the state of Telangana (n = 457), we find that pink bollworm pest infestations are a shock to farmers that lead to severe losses in yield and income. Using the vulnerability concept as a framework, we embed our findings in a political-economic context by drawing on Harvey’s notion of accumulation by dispossession. We argue that Bt cotton includes an inherent sociobiological obsolescence that results in a systematic dispossession of resource-poor households while providing appropriation opportunities for other actors. Finally, reproduced hegemonic structures facilitate the accumulation of capital through a redistribution of assets from the bottom to the top of the agricultural sector. Claims that considered Bt cotton as a pro-poor technology were thus flawed from the outset.

Molecular Genetic Basis of Lab- and Field-Selected Bt Resistance in Pink Bollworm

“…Bt cotton producing Cry1Ac + Cry2Ab was introduced in 2006, and widespread practical resistance to this two-toxin Bt cotton was documented in 2015 [ 45 ]. The rapid evolution of pink bollworm resistance to Bt cotton in India, which has caused substantial socio-economic damage, is associated with the failure to comply with the governmental requirement to plant non-Bt cotton refuges accounting for at least 20% of total cotton hectares [ 43 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 ]. Pink bollworm resistance to Bt cotton remained widespread in India through at least 2018, with no immediate prospects for restoration of susceptibility to Cry1Ac or Cry2Ab [ 43 , 45 , 72 , 73 ].…”

Biotechnology and Solutions: Insect-Pest-Resistance Management for Improvement and Development of Bt Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

“…In February 2002, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Ministry of Environment, and the Genetic Engineering and Approval Committee mutually approved three Bt-hybrid cottons MECH 162-Bt, MECH 184-Bt, and MECH 12-Bt, developed by Monsanto for commercial distribution. Soon after the approval, these hybrids were planted in six different Indian states, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu [29,30]. Although, that year experienced unfavorable conditions for overall cotton production due to heavy rainfall followed by dry weather, which led to a very low pest pressure, and a significant decline in chemical sprays was observed, indicating a substantial effect of Bt cotton in comparison to non-Bt cotton on the control of the bollworm complex [29].…”