Global area (million hectares) of biotech crops, 1996-2005

Source: Clive James, 2005 - ISAAA

Biotech cotton varieties were planted on an estimated 9.7 million hectares in seven countries in 2005/06, accounting for 28% of world cotton area this season. The average yield with biotech varieties is estimated at 967 kilograms of lint per hectare, compared with a world yield estimated at 725 kg/ha. Many factors affect cotton yields, including the availability of irrigation, insect pressure, fertilizer use and other factors. Nevertheless, biotech varieties appear to confer advantages in efforts to raise yields. Biotech cotton will account for approximately 37% of world cotton production and trade in 2005/06.

The U.S. was the first country in which biotech cotton varieties were approved for commercial production in 1996, and area planted to biotech varieties in the U.S. increased to 82% of 5.5 million hectares in 2005/06. Herbicide-resistant and stacked gene varieties having both herbicide and insecticide resistant characters accounted for 90% of the U.S. biotech cotton area in 2005. Pure insect resistant varieties were planted on less than 10% of the U.S. biotech cotton area.

Herbicide resistant varieties are also popular in Australia, but outside of the U.S. and Australia, insect resistant cotton varieties account for a majority of biotech use. In China (Mainland), biotech varieties were planted on 70% of the total cotton area this season.

The cotton area planted to biotech varieties that have been developed in China continues to grow and reached almost 90% of the Chinese biotech area. Other countries where biotech varieties were planted on over half of the total cotton area are Australia, Colombia, Mexico and South Africa. In India, biotech cotton is grown only in the form of commercial cotton hybrids, and twenty hybrid varieties belonging to four private seed companies have been approved in the last four years. Biotech cotton area is estimated at 14% of the 9 million hectares planted to cotton in India in 2005/06.

Bollgard (Ingard in Australia) or Bollgard II biotech varieties are grown on a commercial scale in all seven countries. In addition, insect resistant WideStrike™ varieties were approved for commercial use in the USA during 2005/06.

The use of biotech cotton varieties could be prevented in Mexico during 2006. Planting must be conducted during the next three months, but the Government of Mexico has not yet approved imports of biotech planting seeds from the U.S. The Government of Brazil has approved the introduction of Bt genes into commercial varieties, but the development of biotech varieties appropriate for Brazilian use will take about two years.


The International Cotton Advisory Committee is an association of 41 governments of countries with an interest in cotton. The Secretariat of the Committee publishes information related to world cotton production, supply, demand and prices, and provides technical information on cotton production technology. Detailed statistics are found bimonthly in COTTON: Review of the World Situation, $170 per year via email, $200 per year in hard copy. A monthly outlook is available by email for $265 per year and by fax for $315. Access to the latest weekly estimates of world cotton supply and use by the Secretariat is available on the Internet for $420 per year. Access Secretariat reports at www.icac.org.