Publications: About ISAAA

Chairman's Commentary: The First Decade of Crop Biotechnology

Acknowledging that the mission of ISAAA is to transfer biotechnology applications to the countries of the South, and that 1996 was the first year when a substantial acreage of transgenic crops were commercially grown globally, it is appropriate to briefly review the highlights during the first decade of crop biotechnology, 1986-96, in ISAAA's 1996 Annual Report. The first field trials of transgenic crops were conducted in the USA and France ten years ago and featured herbicide resistance, used as a marker gene in tobacco. In the

By 1996 more than 70 approvals were granted for the commercial production of approximately 10 transgenic crops ... global acreage of transgenic crops will probably reach 20 to 30 million acres or more in 1997. 

decade 1986 to 1996 more than 3,500 permits were granted for the conduct of an impressive number of more than 15,000 transgenic field trials, consisting of at least 55 crops in 35 countries. Approximately 90% of these trials were conducted in North America and Europe with the balance conducted in developing countries that include China, Argentina, Chile, and Mexico. Significantly, the first commercial planting of a transgenic crop was not in an industrial country but in a developing country—transgenic tobacco was commercially planted in China in the early l990s. By 1996 more than 70 approvals were granted for the commercial production of approximately 10 transgenic crops and/or for use of their derived products. The majority of these approvals were granted

The challenge for ISAAA is to accelerate the availability of these benefits to developing countries by transferring and adapting technologies to meet the needs and priorities of subsistence farmers. 

in the USA and Canada, followed by China, countries of the European Union, Argentina and Mexico in Latin America, and Australia and Japan in the Pacific Rim. Globally, at least 6 million acres of transgenic crops were grown in 1996, of which 3 million were in the USA and Canada and 2.5 million in China. R&D expenditure on agricultural biotechnology in the USA alone in 1996 was estimated at US $2 billion, compared to a market of $384 million in the USA expected to grow by at least 20% per annum, with some estimates indicating that global acreage of transgenic crops will probably reach 20 to 30 million acres in 1997. For the longer term, the value of the global transgenic crop market is projected at between $2 and $3 billion for the year 2000, increasing to $6 billion in 2005. The principal crops that currently benefit from early commercialization of transgenic technology include tobacco, corn, tomato, canola, cotton, potato, soybean, squash, and papaya; and the list of crops is expected to expand significantly in the near- to mid-term. Benefits will accrue from improved and more efficient weed control, particularly in corn, canola, cotton, soybean and tobacco; decreased losses from selected

Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) alone is estimated to have the potential to substitute up to $2.6 billion of the $8.2 billion annual market for insecticides. 

insect pests of corn, potato and cotton; decrease in postharvest losses and better shelf-life from delayed ripening genes; improved nutrition from quality changes such as modified oil in canola; decreased losses to viruses in vegetable and fruit crops; and improved control of pollination that will allow more effective production of hybrid seed. The challenge for ISAAA is to accelerate the availability of these benefits to developing countries by transferring and adapting technologies to meet the needs and priorities of ISAAA's target countries in tropical crops, particularly food crops of subsistence farmers.

Given that approximately two-thirds of the genes incorporated in the newly commercialized transgenic crops confer either herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, or disease resistance, it follows that the potential impact of biotechnology on crop protection and global food production in the near-term will be significant; this includes a substantial potential substitution of conventional pesticides in the annual $28 billion global market. Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) alone is estimated to have the potential to substitute up to $2.6 billion of the $8.2 billion annual market for insecticides. In addition, more effective and flexible weed control will not only reduce losses due to weeds but will also contribute to lessening soil erosion through facilitating no-till or low-till practices that in turn can contribute to more sustainable cropping systems—a particularly important concern for marginal areas. Finally, the introduction of delayed ripening genes could substantially reduce the postharvest losses of many perishable fruits and vegetables with relatively high value in developing countries, where poor

Biotechnology offers the unique opportunity to deliver a scale-neutral and appropriate technology to subsistence farmers by incorporating some of the most sophisticated technologies known to science in the most well known and accepted technology known to farmers—the seed. 

farm-to-market roads, inadequate transportation, and insufficient and unreliable refrigerated storage facilities exacerbate post-harvest losses.

Using seed to deliver these new, important biotechnologies represents a powerful mechanism that allows controlled distribution of proprietary applications. Unlike the semi-dwarf wheat and rice, which required inputs of fertilizer and water to realize increased productivity, most of the new generation of biotechnology-based genes, such as delayed ripening genes, and genes conferring resistance to viruses, insects, and fungi, do not require additional inputs to increase productivity This has extremely important implications in relation to equitable distribution of benefits to large- and small-scale farmers who

The challenges for ISAAA are to build creative model partner ships between the private and public sector towards new, equitable, win-win situations. 

are the end users of the new technologies. Biotechnology offers the unique opportunity to deliver a scale-neutral and appropriate technology to subsistence farmers by incorporating one of the most sophisticated technologies known to science in the most well known and accepted technology known to farmers— the seed—be it open-pollinated, hybrid or vegetative "seed" in the form of tubers. It is noteworthy that whereas the global seed industry has been fairly stable at approximately 120 million tons per year since 1980, only Asia has experienced a significant growth of 18% during the decade 1980-90; this growth is expected to continue in Asia in the coming decades to meet the food security needs of its burgeoning population.

To-date, biotechnology has established a credible record and the development and implementation of appropriate biosafety regulations has served an important function. Thanks to the adoption of appropriate guidelines, the management of the science, since its genesis 25 years ago, has increasingly gained the confidence of scientists, regulators, policy makers, politicians, and the lay public. The same care and attention devoted to the conduct of field trials also needs to be applied at the deployment stage during large scale adoption because this is

 The Secretary of Science and Technology for the Philippines reaffirmed the high priority accorded to agricultural biotechnology by the Philippine Government. 

often the time when new constraints and opportunities become evident. Biotechnology has already made significant progress in overcoming some of the regulatory constraints and public perceptions about the new science but these continue to be a principal constraint in some countries, and harmonization of regulations should continue to be a major goal. Other challenges include issues in relation to the equitable management of intellectual property rights, and appropriate marketing policies for products derived from transgenic crops.

In summary, the future looks optimistic because biotechnology is starting to deliver the essential products that can, in conjunction with conventional technology, increase food, feed and fiber production to meet the growing demands of a global population that will reach 11 billion by 2050. The range of possibilities that the applications of biotechnology offer to crops is enormous but in the near-term the most important contribution that biotechnology can make is to increase the quantity and quality of global food, feed, and fiber. We know that plant biotechnology can now deliver transgenic crops that contribute to higher productivity and to more sustainable cropping systems; these are essential if we are to utilize natural resources responsibly, while at the same time safeguarding the environment. Equitable distribution of benefits from biotechnology will require global access and adoption of biotechnology by countries from the South with the support and participation of all the players involved. These range from the lay public who determine public perception and as consumers are the ultimate beneficiaries, to farmers who are the end users, to the policy makers who promulgate legislation, and the private sector which is the major investor and source of the new biotechnology applications and products. The challenges for ISAAA are to continue to build creative model partnerships between the private and public sector from the industrial and developing countries respectively, to work together towards new, equitable, win-win situations with common and mutually beneficial goals, and to ensure food security and a better quality of life in tomorrow's world; accordingly ISAAA's role as the "honest broker" will be critical during the coming decade.

I have great pleasure in welcoming four new donors ... to ensure that biotechnology will contribute to a better quality of life for some of the one billion poor people in the South who must survive on less than a dollar a day 

1996 ISAAA Annual Board meeting, Manila, the Philippines

In keeping with the custom of scheduling the Annual Board Meeting of ISAAA in the South, and of rotating the venue between the three continents, the 1996 meeting was held in the Philippines. Latin America, Africa and Asia have all now hosted ISAAA Annual Meetings and the benefits have been mutual for ISAAA and its client countries in the South. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) was the gracious host of the meeting in December 1996 and this allowed cooperation between ISAAA and Centers of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) to continue. It facilitated discussions with IRRI management and staff regarding collaboration on specific aspects of rice biotechnology. The occasion also allowed ISAAA Board members to meet with policy-makers and biotechnologists from various national institutes in the Philippines, with representatives from current and potential donors from the private sector in South East Asia, and with staff from the Asian Development Bank. The Secretary of Science and Technology for the Philippines, Dr William Padolina, who is also a board member of ISAAA, reaffirmed the high priority accorded to agricultural biotechnology by the Philippine Government. Recognizing the urgent need to address food security in South East Asia and the essential contribution of biotechnology, the Board assigned the highest priority to establishing ISAAA's South East Asia Center (SEAsiaCenter) in 1997. Advanced negotiations are underway for the establishment of the SEAsiaCenter with a view to making it operational in the latter part of 1997.

Funding replenishment and expansion of ISAAA's donor group

On behalf of the Board and management it is again a pleasure to thank ISAAA's generous group of donors for their continued and unfailing support, without which ISAAA's mission cannot be achieved. The External Review of ISAAA recognized, and the Board concurs, that replenishment of support from current donors and expansion of the donor group to achieve diversification are two institutional goals that must continue to be assigned the highest priority, because they are vital to the sustainability of the institution. Accordingly, it is gratifying to report that the principal Anonymous Donor renewed its generous support in 1996 with a grant of $1.5 million over a five year period and I have great pleasure in welcoming four new donors: the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), an important donor of institutional and project funding; the Gatsby Charitable Foundation (a Sainsbury Family Charitable Trust, UK) which has provided significant funding for an African project described in more detail elsewhere in this Report; Novartis Seeds, Switzerland and AgrEvo, Germany as institutional donors; both Novartis Seeds and AgrEvo are leading transnationals that are engaged in agribiotechnology globally.

In conclusion, it is a pleasure for me to thank my fellow board members, ISAAA management and staff, without whom biotechnology transfer projects could not be brokered, formulated, and implemented. Particular thanks to my fellow members of the Executive and Finance Committee, Jasper van Zanten (Vice Chair and Treasurer), Richard Flavell (Secretary), and Anatole Krattiger (Executive Director). The members of the Executive Committee work together as a team throughout the year in a tireless effort to support the mission of ISAAA, to try and ensure that biotechnology will contribute to a better quality of life for some of the one billion poor people in the South who must survive on less than a dollar a day.

Clive James

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