This book is one of the first of its kind on socioeconomic aspects of agricultural biotechnology in the country. It covers a range of issues relating to potential, performance and concerns regarding biotechnology in India and offers valuable suggestions for policymaking. The debate on biotechnology so far focused mainly on the likely risks instead of objectively assessing the technology on a case-by-case basis to come out with suitable policy implications.

The present book attempts to fill this serious gap by discussing the nature and organisation of biotechnology, present pattern of product development, concerns for poverty reduction arising from the nature and pattern of product development and the performance of the first biotech product in the country viz., Bt cotton. 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.

N. Chandrasekhara Rao is Associate Professor at the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad. Several of his research papers were published in reputed journals in the field of economics. His areas of research interest include agricultural and development economics, poverty reduction and labour market.

S. Mahendra Dev is Chairman, Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, New Delhi. Earlier he was Director, Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS), Hyderabad. He has written extensively on agricultural development, poverty and public policy, food security, employment guarantee schemes, social security, farm and non-farm employment. He has been a consultant to many international organisations like the UNDP, World Bank, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), ESCAP and has also worked as a member in committees set up by the Government of India.

List of Tables, Figures and Appendices
Foreword
Preface

1. Introduction

2. Biotechnology and Pro-poor Agricultural Development

3. Commercialisation of Transgenics

4. Profile of Growers and Details of Cotton Cultivation

5. Bollgard Technology and Cotton Profitability

6. Benefits Across Groups of Farmers

7. Employment and Perceptions of Growers

8. Summary of Bt Cotton Performance

9. Conclusions and the Way Forward

References

Index