Input-cost Gains and Technical Efficiency in Cotton Cultivation: Experience of Herbicide Tolerant Technology

Technology-led agricultural growth has a dominant role in economic welfare and in reducing poverty through its direct impact on real wage rates and indirect impact on increased employment. Against this background, the paper, based on a primary survey estimates labour absorption pattern and labour cost in the overall cost of cultivation of cotton. Secondly, it assesses mean technical efficiency in cotton cultivation and changes in it with the introduction of technology; in this case, cultivation of herbicide tolerant cotton, vis-à-vis the conventional Bt cotton. The nature of rural economy is undergoing a significant transformation, with preferences changing for non-farm jobs. Also, marginal farmers carry out cultivation activities with the help of family labour, including the time consuming and labour-intensive activities such as weeding. Analysis indicates that use of herbicide tolerant (HT) technology cotton reduces the time spent on weeding operations, thereby enabling engagement in activities having significant labour productivity advantages. The technical efficiency of the trait is higher than conventional Bt cotton, due to lower overall costs associated with it. It also surmises that time spent on manual weeding, particularly by the women workers is the opportunity cost in adoption of HT cotton technology.