The study analysed the resource use efficiency of small Bt cotton farmers in the western undulating agro-climatic zone of Odisha using the Cobb-Douglas production function. Data were collected from 90 randomly selected Bt cotton farmers in Kalahandi district through a multistage sampling technique and categorized into small, medium, and large farm sizes. The average farm size for small farmers was 3.26 acres. Functional analysis showed that the coefficient of multiple determination (R²) ranged between 62% and 81%, indicating that 62–81% of the variation in cotton output was explained by the selected 10 independent variables. The Cobb-Douglas production function and tabular analysis were employed to evaluate input efficiency. Results indicated that nitrogen and potash were used efficiently, contributing significantly to production. However, resources such as human labour, bullock labour, manures, seed, machine labour, and plant protection chemicals had marginal value product (MVP) to marginal cost (MC) ratios below one, suggesting inefficient use. Irrigation, nitrogen, and potash were identified as key inputs to improve productivity and profitability. For small farmers, the elasticity of production was 1.27, indicating increasing returns to scale. Thus, the study concludes that there is potential to boost Bt cotton output in the region by enhancing the use of these underutilized yet productive resources.

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