ISAAA
Briefs No. 32-2004: Executive Summary
Global
Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2004
Future Prospects
- 2004
is the penultimate year of the first decade of the commercialization
of biotech crops during which double-digit
growth in global hectarage
of biotech crops has been achieved every single year; this is an unwavering
and resolute vote of confidence in the technology from the 25 million
farmers, who are masters in risk aversion, and have consistently chosen
to plant an increasing hectarage of biotech crops year, after year, after
year. The 10th anniversary in 2005, will be a just cause for celebration
worldwide by farmers, the international scientific and development community,
global society, and the peoples in developing and industrial countries
on all six continents that have benefited significantly from the technology,
particularly the humanitarian contribution to the alleviation of poverty,
malnutrition and hunger in the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America.
On a global basis, there is cause for cautious optimism with the global
area and the number of farmers planting biotech crops expected to continue
to grow in 2005 and beyond. In the established industrial country markets
of the USA and Canada, growth will continue with the introduction of
new traits; for example, the significant biotech hectarage planted in
2004 in North America to MON 863 for corn rootworm control (approximately
700,000 hectares of the single/stacked product) and TC 1507 for broader
lepidopteran control (approximately 1.2 million hectares). The global
number and proportion of small farmers from developing countries growing
biotech crops is expected to increase significantly to meet their food/feed
crop requirements and meat demands of their burgeoning and more affluent
populations. A similar trend may also apply to the poorer and more agriculturally
based countries of Eastern Europe which have recently joined the EU,
and those expected to join in 2007 and beyond. Finally, there were signs
of progress in the European Union in 2004 with the EU Commission approving,
for import, two events in biotech maize (Bt11 and NK603) for food and
feed use, thus signaling the end of the 1998 moratorium. The Commission
also approved 17 maize varieties, with insect resistance conferred by
MON 810, making it the first biotech crop to be approved for planting
in all 25 EU countries. The use of MON 810 maize, in conjunction with
practical and equitable co-existence policies, opens up new opportunities
for EU member countries to benefit from the commercialization of biotech
maize, which Spain has successfully deployed since 1998. Taking all factors
into account, the outlook for 2010 points to continued growth in the
global hectarage of biotech crops, up to 150 million hectares, with up
to 15 million farmers growing crops in up to 30 countries.
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