Biotech Updates

Biotech Seminar Reports Increase in Global GM Crops Adoption in 2011

March 2, 2012

A recent seminar on Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops in 2011 highlighted the significant achievements on biotechnology research and the adoption of genetically modified crops in developing as well as developed countries. In his opening remarks Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture in Jakarta Dr. Rusman Heryawan expressed his trust on biotech crops to support food production and food security. He mentioned further that the Indonesian government supports GM crops research as mentioned in regulation PP21 2005.

Dr. Clive James, author of the Global Status Report noted a 1.3 million or 8% increase in the number of farmers from 2010 that grew biotech crops in 2011. This increase brings the total number of biotech farmers to 16.7 million globally. Of this figure, over 90%, or 15 million, are small resource-poor farmers in developing countries.

The seminar was organized by the Indonesian Biotechnology Information Center (IndoBIC) in collaboration with the Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD), Indonesian Society for Agricultural Biotechnology (PBPI), and supported by SEAMEO BIOTROP, Croplife Indonesia, and the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA). It was attended by 122 stakeholders consisting of scientists, academicians, students, policy makers, farmers, journalists, agro-businessmen, and the general public.

For more information, email Dewi Suryani at dewisuryani@biotrop.org.