Illegal HTBt Cotton on Up to 30% of India’s Cotton Area: Field Study Exposes the Gap in GM Crop Regulation

A field study commissioned by the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) and the National Seed Association of India (NSAI), and carried out by the South Asia Biotechnology Centre, Jodhpur (director Bhagirath Choudhary), reported on 7 October 2026 that of the 114.8 lakh hectares sown under cotton in 2025-26, an estimated 26.2–29 lakh hectares (24–30%) was under hybrids carrying unapproved genetically modified (GM) genes — cp4-epsps, which gives tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate, and/or Vip3A, a next-generation insect-resistance gene. India permits only two GM genes in cotton, cry1Ac and cry2Ab.