India's cultivation of genetically modified cotton is expected to double over the next year as farmers opt for more disease-resistant seeds amid a rise in the country's total cotton production.

Out of a total area of 8.8 million hectares under the crop in the year to the end of Sept. 2006, 1.3 million were planted with transgenic Bt cotton.

"The coming season, it should be around 3.2 million hectares," said K.F. Jhunjhunwala, president of the East India Cotton Association, referring to the area used for Bt output in the next crop year to Sept. 2007.

He said the total area under cotton cultivation was likely to remain around 9 million hectares. "Over a period of time, Bt cotton may touch 70-75 percent of the production," he said.

Jhunjhunwala said the main reason for the switchover to GM seeds was the increased protection they offered against major pests like bollworm.

In 2002, India allowed farmers to plant transgenic cotton containing a gene from bacillus thuringiensis, a bacterium species, which causes lethal paralysis in the digestive tract of bollworm.

The value of biotech crops is debated worldwide, with advocates saying they offer a vast improvement in food security, while critics warn of the possible emergence of new toxins and allergens.

Several Indian state-owned farm institutes, private seed companies and universities are conducting trials on genetically modified mustard, rice, potatoes and tobacco.

RICH HARVESTS

Jhunjhunwala said the total cotton crop in the season ending September 2006 would be 24.5 million bales, slightly higher than the 24.3 million produced a year ago.

Exports would surge to a record 4.5 to 5 million bales from 1 million during the same comparable period because of carryover stocks and a good harvest.

Jhunjhunwala said production next year could easily touch 27 million bales, if there was a slight increase in yields.

"With a huge carryover still left and a good crop expected next year, we will have a good chance of exporting more next season. It can be 7 to 7.5 million bales," he added.

He said recent weather conditions would support a rise in production, although there had been a slight delay in the onset of monsoon at about the time sowing starts.

India should aim to increase its exports to China, where it is a distant second to the U.S. in market share, he added. While the U.S. has a 45 percent share of world cotton exports to China, India has only 12 percent.