Dr. Amritbir Riar Singh
Dy leader - Department of International Cooperation & Leader - Group Resilient Cropping Systems FiBL
The new varieties will add more resilience to cotton farming in India
Good organic seeds for cotton were hard to find, but not anymore. After over ten years of breeding resulted in success, two new organic cotton varieties have recently been made available to farmers. These are the first ever cotton varieties of India bred under organic conditions. The varieties were developed through a decentralised organic participatory breeding programme of FiBL (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture) Switzerland and partners. Fibre2Fashion spoke to Dr. Amritbir Riar Singh, project leader of the Seeding the Green Future (SGF) project and deputy leader of the Department of International Cooperation at FiBL Switzerland, to understand more about the new cotton varieties.
Why is it difficult to procure organic cotton seeds?
Organic cotton is only grown by a small percentage of cotton growers in India; thus, the conventional seed business models based on the mass production of a few F1 hybrids, are not profitable for seed producers. Moreover, F1 hybrids do not fit the purpose of organic production as organic farms often can’t buffer F1’s needs with external inputs. On the other hand, organic cotton is grown in small fields and often next to GM cotton which makes it very challenging to save non-GM organic cotton seed from getting contaminated with GM cotton seed.
What percentage of Indian farmers use organic cotton seeds?
Textile exchange’s recent organic cotton market report estimates that 2.1 per cent of India’s overall cotton production is organic.
What are the new varieties of cotton that you have released?
We have released two varieties:
RVJK-SGF-1: The non-GM Desi Cotton variety, developed by scientists from Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Gwalior University (RVSKVV), Pratibha Syntex Limited (PSL) and FiBL Switzerland, has been found to be 21.05 per cent superior in seed cotton yield over the benchmark variety. The variety has a good fibre length (28.77 mm), a high fibre strength (27.12 g/tex) and it matures in 144-160 days after sowing.
RVJK-SGF-2: The non-GM American Cotton variety developed by scientists from RVSKVV, Chetna Organic and FiBL Switzerland exceeded the benchmark by 21.18 per cent for seed cotton yield and is a medium tall (96-110 cm) type plant of medium maturity group and matures in 145-155 days after sowing. The variety has – as per the industrial requirements – long fibres (29.87mm) and a high fibre strength (29.92 g/tex). It is also found to be suitable for 20s to 50s count spinning to make a good quality fabric.
How were the new varieties of organic seeds developed? Where were they tested?
Both varieties were developed using a participatory plant breeding approach under the framework of the Seeding the Green Future (SGF) programme. For the first four years, these varieties were tested under research trials in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. For the next three years, these varieties were also tested in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. For the last two years, these varieties were extensively evaluated at several centres of RVSKVV, Gwalior and in pilot trails on farmers’ fields in Madhya Pradesh.
FiBL initiated the Seeding the Green Future project in 2017 with the support from Mercator Foundation Switzerland and Organic Cotton Accelerator. The project is being implemented in collaboration with local Indian partners to develop and deliver non-GM cotton varieties to the thousands of farmers striving to pursue organic cotton cultivation in the major cotton growing belt of India.
What were the findings of the trials? How was the crop quality?
The participatory approach of the project helped stakeholders to secure the availability and accessibility of non-GM seeds for organic cotton production and organic textiles with a portfolio of new cotton cultivars with improved agronomic performance (yield, yield stability, tolerance against drought, flooding, pest and diseases, easy picking), high fibre quality (staple length: 28+; micronaire: 3.8 – 4.5; strength: >28 HVI modus) and good ginning outturn, adapted to the various local organic growing conditions (different regions, soil fertility, irrigation regime, cropping systems), high resilience towards climate change (unpredictable rainfall, unexpected cool or hot temperature, air humidity, flooding, etc) and high adoption rate by farmers. In addition, project activities, including rang and on-farm trials, also empowered smallholder farmers to produce their own seed to become independent from seed companies. Improved cotton cultivars and reduced production costs combined with the commitment of the major actors of the textile supply chain have motivated smallholder farmers to convert to organic for the benefit of their personal and environmental health, allowing a sustainable fibre supply chain.
How do the new two varieties fare when compared to GM crop varieties?
The narrative of comparing organic and conventional cultivation performance is not new and does not seem to be going away in the near future. However, our objective under the framework of Organic 3.0 is not to compare the performance of organic vs conventional cultivation but to move to true cost accounting, which of course, includes financial competence at the farm gate level but also includes eco-systems services contribution towards the improvement of farmers livelihood and climate adaptation. Since the new varieties are high yielding with improved quality parameters compared to existing cultivars, they will contribute to improving farmers livelihood.
Organic cotton production, with its closed natural cycles and its refraining from synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, is a resource-efficient production system. It enables an environmentally friendly and health-risk-free production that reduces the dependence of smallholder farmers on agrochemical credits. In combination with fair trade, this cultivation technique contributes to a sustainable cotton production by improving income, food security, and rural development.
Are these varieties currently being used by farmers? If yes, where and which regions?
For the cotton season 2022-23, new release varieties are provided to a limited number of farmers for seed multiplication. For 2023-24 season, seeds will be available to farmers of Madhya Pradesh through RVSKVV Gwalior. The State seed committee has also recommended newly released cultivars for similar growing conditions, so these varieties can be successfully grown in central and southern cotton-growing regions of India.
What are the prospects for organic cotton farming in India?
Several reports and social media posts project a very shiny future for the Indian cotton growing sector. From my personal point of view, the Indian organic cotton sector is going through a rough phase where the integration of the whole cotton sector has been challenged in recent years, and the contribution of Indian organic cotton to global production of organic cotton is decreasing continuously. There is slow growth for Indian organic cotton sector compared to other geographies. The Indian organic cotton sector is challenged by integrity issues on one front, and by severe competition from other organic cotton growing countries on another. Nevertheless, political stability, infrastructure and assurance of steady supply will help India remain a key player on the global stage for organic cotton for years to come.
How does the release of the new organic cotton varieties going to change the cotton scenario in India?
The new release varieties provide an alternative to F1 hybrids and also re-establish the option of farm saved seed for organic cotton growers. In addition, new varieties are developed under organic conditions, which are suitable to low-input farming systems and thus will add more resilience to cotton farming.
What is the next step at FiBL especially with projects in India?
FiBL is working with many organisations in India with the goal of continuously developing organic agriculture along the entire value chain of the food system through research, knowledge transfer and advisory services, practice-oriented projects and public relations work. Together with partners from the field, other research and advisory institutions, public bodies and non-governmental organisations, projects work to secure nutrition and conserve the natural basis of life through organic farming and a sustainable food system.
Published on: 17/10/2022
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
