Cotton yields in India are less than 20 per cent of the yields achieved in several other countries like US and Egypt because of inefficiency in use of inputs. This was stated by noted agricultural economist Dr M S Swaminathan at the third Asian Conference of Agricultural Economists in Jaipur on Wednesday. This is the situation when the Indian farmers use 25 times more quantity of water to raise a ton of cotton as compared to California, Swaminathan said in his key-note address to the conference being attended by about 100 leading agricultural economists and policy advisors. Swaminathan cited this example to highlight the need for improving productivity by paying attention to improving efficiency of input use, particularly nutrients and water. To bridge the gap between actual and potential yields prevailing at the currently available levels of technology, a multi-disciplinary constraints analysis will have to be undertaken in different regions and farming systems, the pioneer of green revolution in India, informed. “In the short term, the highest priority should be given to utilizing untapped production reservoir existing at current levels of technology and in the longer term the prospects for improving yield further without associated ecological harm could be explored,” he added. Bureau Report