BT Cotton seed companies eyeing income of Rs 700 crore this year

17 May 2011 Evaluate

BT Cotton seed companies are eyeing an income of Rs 700 crore this year due to an increase in seed prices. The month-long tussle between BT Cotton seed companies and the Maharashtra Government over pricing of cotton seeds have ended in favour of cotton seed companies.

Initially, the Maharashtra Government waited for Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh Government to take a call on cotton seed prices. Last week upon informing that Maharashtra Government won’t increase the prices, seed companies hinted that they would sell their cotton seeds to states which would fetch them higher prices.

Following this the cotton seed prices which were kept stagnant for the last three years by the government were allowed to revise its prices. The Bollgard I and Bollgard II seeds will now be sold for Rs 830 per packet and Rs 930 per packet instead of Rs 650 per packet and Rs 750 per packet (of 450 grams) respectively.

During the previous year the cotton acreage was at 39 lakh hectare and the seed requirement of the state was 1 .40 crore packets. This year, the area is expected to go up to 45 lakh hectare and hence the state will need about 1.80 crore packets. Translating this with the price increase of Rs 180 per packet, it will yield Rs 324 crore to the seed companies on the sale of BT cotton seeds in Maharashtra alone.

During Kharif 2011, seed companies expect to sell about 4 crore packets of BT cotton seeds nationally yielding them Rs 720 crore.

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