The 2013 Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GMCrops, authored by Clive James, Founder and Emeritus Chair of ISAAA, reports
that a record 175.2 million hectares of biotech crops were grown globally last
year, at an annual growth rate of 3%, or 5 million hectares more from 2012. The global hectarage of biotech crops have
increased more than 100-fold in 18 years, from 1.7 million hectares in 1996 to
175.2 million hectares in 2013, making biotech crops the fastest adopted crop
technology in recent history.
Developing Countries
Planted More Biotech Crop Hectares
Eighteen years since the first commercial planting of
biotech crops, and for the second consecutive year since 2012, developing
countries planted more biotech crop hectares than industrial countries, producing
54% of the total global production in 2013. Of the 27 countries that planted
biotech crops last year, 19 were developing, while only 8 industrial countries
planted biotech crops
More Farmers Are
Planting and Replanting Biotech Crops
From 1996 to 2013, millions of farmers in almost 30
countries worldwide, elected to make more than 100 million independent
decisions to plant and replant an accumulated hectarage of more than 1.6
billion hectares. In 2013 alone, a record 18 million farmers grew biotech
crops, up by 0.7 million from 2012, of which more than 90% or over 16.5 million
are small, resource-poor farmers in developing countries.
In China,
7.5 million small farmers benefited from biotech cotton, and in India
there were 7.3 million beneficiary farmers. In addition to economic gains,
farmers benefited enormously from at least 50% reduction in the number of
insecticide applications, reducing farmer exposure to insecticides, and
importantly contributed to a more sustainable environment and better quality of
life.
Women farmers rest on a heap of Bt cotton bolls in China.
Clean Bt cotton bolls make farmers smile in India
Farmers from Latin America, Asia, and Africa collectively grew 94
million hectares or 54% of the global 175 million biotech hectares
(versus 52% in 2012), compared with industrial countries at 81 million
hectares or 46% (versus 48% in 2012), almost doubling the hectare gap
from 7 to almost 14 million hectares between 2012 to 2013, respectively.
This trend is expected to continue, and is contrary to the prediction
of critics who, prior to the commercialization of the technology in
1996, prematurely declared that biotech crops were only for industrial countries and would never be accepted and adopted by developing countries, particularly small poor farmers.
The USA is Still the World’s Lead Producer of
Biotech Crops
The USA
continued its leadership in producing biotech crops in 2013 with 70.1 million
hectares, an average adoption rate of ~90% across all biotech crops. Since
2006, the USA
has planted eight biotech crops, namely: maize, soybean, cotton, canola, sugar beet,
alfalfa, papaya, and squash.
Brazil Continues To Be The Engine Of Biotech Crop
Growth Globally
Brazil ranks only second to the USA in
biotech crop hectarage in the world with 40.3 million hectares, but emerging as
a strong global leader in biotech crop production. For the fifth consecutive
year, Brazil
increased biotech crop plantings more than any other country in the world.
Progress in Africa
In Africa, continued progress has been made with Burkina Faso and Sudan increasing their Bt cotton
hectarage substantially. In 2013, South Africa’s biotech hectarage was
marginally less, but practically at the same level as 2012. Encouragingly an
additional seven African countries (Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi,
Nigeria and Uganda) have conducted field trials on a broad range of “new”
biotech crops (cotton, maize, bananas, and cowpeas), including several orphan
crops such as sweet potato.
A Bt cotton farmer in his field in Burkina Faso.
Five EU Countries Planted Biotech Crops in 2013
Five EU
countries, planted a record 148,013 hectares of Bt maize in 2013, with Spain
leading with a record 136,962 hectares of Bt maize. The remaining EU countries
that planted biotech crops in 2013 are Portugal,
Romania, Czech Republic,
and Slovakia.
Contribution of Biotech Crops to Food Security,
Sustainability and Climate Change
From 1996
to 2013, biotech crops contributed to Food Security, Sustainability and Climate
Change by:
·
increasing
crop production valued at US$116.9 billion;
·
providing
a better environment, by saving 497 million kg a.i. of pesticides; in 2012
alone reducing CO2 emissions by 26.7 billion kg, equivalent to
taking 11.8 million cars off the road for one year;
·
conserving
biodiversity in the period 1996-2012 by saving 123 million hectares of land;
and
·
helped
alleviate poverty by helping >16.5 million small farmers, and their families
totaling >65 million people, who are some of the poorest people in the
world.
Future Prospects
The
near-term looks optimistic with more modest annual gains expected due to the
already high rates of adoption (90% or more) in the principal biotech crops in
mature markets in both developing and industrial countries. Bangladesh, Indonesia
and Panama
approved biotech crop planting in 2013 with plans for commercialization in 2014.
source: International service for acquisition of Agri-biotech Application
