'Village for sale' farmers now like BT cotton

Excerpts from Power Breakfast on CNBC-TV18 Watch the full show »

Everybody in the village of Harkishanpura in Punjab swears by BT cotton, but it was also this very same village that was put up for sale, by its residents not too long ago, when the crops had failed.

Singing praises of BT cotton, many farmers believe that the magic cotton crop has been able to revive their fortunes and that of his village by increasing crop productivity, but not too long ago when the crops failed, the residents of the village in southern Punjab were desperate.

Five years back in a meeting, the villagers decided to put up their village for sale, but now BT cotton seems to have revived their fortune bringing in a change in their lives. And though the wheels of political fortune have swung the other way for Captain Amrinder Singh, Harkishanpura village in the Malwa belt remains faithful to him, and BT cotton that's helped them so much.

One villager told CNBC-TV18, "The situation is improving for BT cotton. I'm not in a situation to repay my loan but day-to-day needs are fulfilled."

But its also in Harkishanpura that farmers under severe debt committed suicide, like Gurdawal Kaur's son Jeevan Singh and she is skeptical about this newfound enthusiasm for BT cotton. She says, "The water is brackish and it does not matter to us if the crops are doing well."

It's a fear that finds support from scientists. So, though as of now, Harkishanpura seems to have come out of its "village for sale" times, and everyone loves BT cotton, the question is how long will this run continue.

Arijit Sen