Biotech crops are poised for second wave of growth

An additional 1.3 million farmers planted 10.7 million new hectares of GM crops in three new countries in 2008, according to ISAAA’s brief, on the Global Status of Commercialised GM Crops 2008. ISAAA has been tracking global GM crop adoption trends since 1996.

In its annual study, ISAAA found 13.3 million farmers in 25 countries planted 125 million hectares of GM crops last year, the sixth largest growth spurt in 13 years of reporting.  The 2 billionth cumulative acre of GM crops was planted in 2008, just three years after the first billionth acre, a milestone which required a decade to reach.

In 2008, farming of genetically modified crops began in the African nations of Egypt and Burkina Faso. ISAAA said Africa is considered the final frontier for biotech crops as it has perhaps the greatest need and most to gain. In 2008, Egypt planted 700 hectares of Bt maize and Burkina Faso 8,500 hectares of Bt cotton. They join South Africa, which has cultivated GM cotton, maize and soybean since 1998.

“Future growth prospects are encouraging,” said Clive James, chairman and founder of ISAAA and author of the report. “The positive experiences in these new regional footholds in south, north and west Africa will help lead the way for neighboring countries to learn by example. Additionally, political leaders globally are increasingly viewing biotech enhanced crops as a key part of the solution to critical social issues of food security and sustainability.”

For example, in 2008 the leaders of the G8 for the first time recognised the significance of GM crops and called for accelerated research and development to increase access to new agricultural technologies to boost agriculture production, promising,  “We will promote science-based risk analysis, including on the contribution of seed varieties developed through biotechnology.”

The European Union also has acknowledged that GM crops “Can play an important role in mitigating the effects of the food crises.”

In China, Premier Wen Jiabao has said, “To solve the food problem, we have to rely on big science and technology measures, rely on biotechnology, rely on GM.” China has committed an additional $3.5 billion over 12 years for research and development. GM rice developed and field tested in China has the potential to increase food availability and net income by about $100 per hectare for approximately 440 million people in the country, according to ISAAA.

“Biotech crops make two important contributions to global food security,” James said. “First, they increase yields, which increase food availability and supply. Second, they reduce production costs, which will also ultimately help reduce food prices.

France did not plant GM crops in 2008, but seven other EU countries increased their planting by a combined 21 per cent. In total, 100,000 hectares of GM crops were planted, the same as 2007. The seven EU countries growing Bt maize were Spain, Czech Republic, Romania, Portugal, Germany, Poland and Slovakia.

The ISAAA report is funded by two European philanthropic organizations, the philanthropic unit within Ibercaja, one of the largest Spanish banks, headquartered in the maize growing region of Spain, and the Bussolera-Branca Foundation from Italy, which supports the open sharing of knowledge on GM crops to aid decision-making by global society.