Cotton’s Forgotten Children - Child Labour and Below Minimum Wages in Hybrid Cottonseed Production in India - July 2015

Aug 27, 2026

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Cotton’s Forgotten Children examines child labour and wage practices in hybrid cottonseed production in India, focusing on how production structures and workforce changes shape children’s employment. The study maps the magnitude and profile of working children across states, estimates total numbers employed in cottonseed farms, and analyzes interventions aimed at eliminating child labour. It also evaluates wage rates by comparing prevailing market wages with statutory minimum wages, highlighting cases where pay falls below legal minimums.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages47

Reading Time1 h 58 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Chapter I: Introduction

Background

Nature of child labour in cottonseed production

Objectives of the study

Methodology

Structure of the report

Chapter II: Recent Developments in the Indian Cottonseed Industry

Increase in the seed production area

Growing control of MNCs and big companies

Relocation and expansion of production to new areas

Shifting production from large farms to small family-based farms

Changes in the workforce composition

Chapter III: Magnitude and Profile of the Working Children

Magnitude of child labour

Trends in the employment of child labour

Profile of the working children

Chapter IV: Estimates of the Total Number of Children Employed in Cottonseed Farms in Different States

Chapter V: Interventions Against Child Labour in Cottonseed Cultivation

Chapter VI: Wage Rates: The Issue of Below Minimum Wages

FLA-ICN wage study findings

Statutory minimum wages in different states

Comparison of statutory wages with prevailing market wages

Chapter VII: Summary and Concluding Remarks

Chapter VIII: Recommendations

COTTON’S FORGOTTEN CHILDREN CHILD LABOUR AND BELOW MINIMUM WAGES IN HYBRID COTTONSEED PRODUCTION IN INDIA by Dr. Davuluri Venkateswarlu JULY 2015 INDIA COMMITTEE OF THE NETHERLANDS (ICN) STOP CHILD LABOUR COALITION TABLE OF CONTENT EXECUTIVE SUMARY 5 CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 7 1.1 Background 7 1.2 Nature of child labour in cottonseed production 9 1.3 Objectives of the study 11 1.4 Methodology 11 1.5 Structure of the report 13 CHAPTER II: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE INDIAN COTTONSEED INDUSTRY 14 2.1 Introduction 14 2.2 Increase in the seed production area 15 2.3 Growing control of MNCs and big companies 16 2.4 Relocation and expansion of production to new areas 18 2.5 Shifting production from large commercial farms to small family based farms 19 2.6 Changes in the workforce composition 20 2.7 Summing up 21 CHAPTER III: MAGNITUDE AND PROFILE OF THE WORKING CHILDREN 22 3.1 Introduction 22 3.2 Magnitude of child labour 22 3.3 Trends in the employment of child labour 25 3.4 Magnitude of child labour on farms producing for MNCs and Indian companies 27 3.5 Profile of the working children 28 CHAPTER IV: ESTIMATES OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CHILDREN EMPLOYED IN COTTONSEED FARMS IN DIFFERENT STATES 31 CHAPTER V: INTERVENTIONS AGAINST CHILD LABOUR IN COTTONSEED CULTIVATION 34 CHAPTER VI: WAGE RATES: THE ISSUE OF BELOW MINIMUM WAGES 37 6.1 Introduction 37 6.2 FLA-ICN wage study findings 37 6.3 Statutory minimum wages in different states 38 6.4 Comparison of statutory wages with prevailing market wages 39 CHAPTER VII: SUMMARY AND CONCLUDING REMARKS 43 CHAPTER VIII: RECOMMENDATIONS 46 List of tables and figures Table 1: State wise distribution of sample farms surveyed Table 2: Company wise distribution of sample farms surveyed in different states Table 3: Trends in area and productivity of cotton in India Table 4: Trends in area under hybrid cottonseed production in India Table 5: The production area controlled by MNCs and Indian companies (area in acres) Table 6: Relocation of expansion of cottonseed production to new areas Table 7: Average size of cottonseed farm in different states (in acres) Table 8: Proportion of family labour to total workforce in cottonseed farms Table 9: Proportion of seasonal migrant workers to the total labour supply Table 10: Incidence of child labour in cottonseed farms in different states 2014-15 Table 11: Profile of working children in different states 2014-15 Table 12: Proportion of children (below 14 years) to total workforce in cottonseed farms Table 13: Proportion of children (15-18 years) to total workforce in cottonseed farms Table 14: Total area under hybrid seed production in India Table 15: Estimates of approximate total number of children employed in hybrid cottonseed farms in different states in India for 2006-07, 2009-10 and 2014-15 Table 16: Comparison of prevailing market wages with statutory minimum wages 2014-15 Colophon Author: Dr. Davuluri Venkateswarlu, Director Glocal Research, Hyderabad, [davuluri_v@yahoo.com](davuluri_v@yahoo.com)[ ](davuluri_v@yahoo.com)[Lay out:](Lay out: India Committee of the Netherland)[ India Committee of the Netherland](Lay out: India Committee of the Netherland) (ICN) Published by: India Committee of the Netherlands as member of the Stop Child Labour Coalition Acknowledgement: We thank all the respondents who have participated in the study, including the companies that have given their input to the draft report India Committee of the Netherlands (Landelijke India Werkgroep) Mariaplaats 4e, 3511 LH Utrecht, Netherlands Tel: +31 (0)30 2321340 E-mail: [g.oonk@indianet.nl](g.oonk@indianet.nl) [Website:](Website: www.indianet.nl)[ ](Website: www.indianet.nl)[www.indianet.nl](Website: www.indianet.nl) Stop Child Labour [Website:](Website: www.stopchildlabour.eu)[ ](Website: www.stopchildlabour.eu)[www.stopchildlabour.eu](Website: www.stopchildlabour.

FAQs

What is the focus of the report Cotton’s Forgotten Children?

The report focuses on child labour and wages below statutory minimum levels in hybrid cottonseed production in India.

How does the report assess child labour among working children?

It presents estimates of the magnitude and profile of working children, including trends in child labour employment and state-level incidence.

How are wage rates evaluated in relation to legal minimum wages?

The report compares prevailing market wages with statutory minimum wages across different states, using findings from a wage study to identify where wages fall below minimums.

Aug 27, 2026

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