India’s average yield has almost doubled to 560 kg per ha since the nation allowed farmers to use modified seeds for the first time in 2002. Farmers sowed gene-altered seeds, including Monsanto Co.’s Bollgard II variety, across two-thirds of the 9.6 million ha planted to cotton this year, up from 50% a year earlier. The area under gene-modified cotton may increase next year to about 8.5 million ha, or 80% of the total area, Cotton Corp.’s Grover said. ”Monsoon rains have been more or less good so far this season and that should further help the crop.”