Biotechnology in Indian Agriculture: Potential, Performance and Concerns

The debate on biotechnology focuses on the likely risks instead of objectively assessing the technology on a case-by-case basis to come out with suitable policy implications. This book fills this serious gap by discussing the case of the first biotech product in India, Bt cotton. Focusing on the socioeconomic aspects of agricultural biotechnology rather than the technology, it covers a range of issues relating to the potential and performance of new products and offers valuable suggestions for policy making. After introducing the nature and organization of biotechnology, the patterns of product development are presented. It uses the results of two longitudinal surveys conducted in all the cotton growing agro-climatic zones of Andhra Pradesh and employs a conceptual framework to bring out the performance of this technology.