Manipulating Technology for Surplus Extraction: The Case of Bt Cotton in India

Abstract

The spread of Bt cotton has resulted in hybrid varieties wiping out true varieties. An impression has been created as if the adoption of Bt cotton necessitates the use of hybrids. This is an illusion created by the private sector to extract surplus through the sale of seed. This is in sharp contrast to the spread of Bt cotton elsewhere in the world where no hybrids are used. The strategy adopted by the private sector is rendering farmers’ rights in seed infructuous and it throws a serious challenge to the public sector to provide an alternative in terms of varieties.