Widespread Illegal GM Cotton Cultivation Detected in India

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Key takeaways

Unapproved GM cotton hybrids covered 24-30% of India's total cotton area in 2025-26, spanning 26.2-29 lakh hectares.
The illegal seeds contained cp4-epsps for glyphosate herbicide resistance and Vip3A for broader bollworm protection.
Bt cotton containing cry1Ac and cry2Ab genes remains the only commercially approved GM crop in India.
The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under the MoEF&CC has not cleared these new GM traits for field cultivation.

A recent field survey revealed that cotton hybrids with unapproved genetically modified traits covered 24-30% of India's total cotton area during 2025-26.
Unapproved genetically modified cotton hybrids occupied nearly 26.2-29 lakh hectares out of the country's total 114.8 lakh hectares of cotton land.

The illegal cotton hybrids contained the cp4-epsps gene, which gives the plant tolerance against the chemical herbicide glyphosate.
The study also detected the Vip3A gene, which provides protection to the crop against a broader range of bollworm larvae.

Indian regulations currently allow farmers to cultivate Bt cotton hybrids containing only cry1Ac and cry2Ab genes sourced from a soil bacterium.
These approved bacterial genes enable the cotton crop to generate specific proteins that kill harmful bollworm pests naturally.

Commercial farming of Bt cotton remains the sole genetically modified crop allowed under current Indian law.
The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) has not cleared or approved any of the newly detected genetic traits for commercial use.
Operating under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), the GEAC evaluates environmental safety before permitting any large-scale release of genetically altered organisms.