In 2007, biotech crop area grew 12 percent or 12.3 million hectares to reach 114.3 million hectares, the second highest area increase in the past five years. Two million more farmers planted biotech crops which now total 12 million farmers globally benefiting from the technology. Nine out of ten, or 11 million of them were resource-poor farmers, exceeding the 10-million milestone for the first time. These were highlights of a report presented by Dr. Clive James, chair and founder of the the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications(ISAAA). Other highlights of the report include:

• India experienced the highest proportional increase in 2007, with a 63 percent gain to total 6.2 million hectares of biotech cotton grown by 3.8 million resource-poor farmers.
• China, increased Bt cotton production by 0.3 million hectares to total 3.8 million hectares, 69 percent biotech cotton area. A total of 7.1 million farmers planted the biotech crop. In addition to biotech cotton, Chinese farmers also grew biotech papayas and biotech poplar tree. 
• Brazil experienced the greatest absolute growth, at 3.5 million hectares to total 15 million hectares of herbicide-tolerant soybeans and Bt cotton. 
• South Africa, the only African country planting biotech crops, increased plantings by 30 percent to total 1.8 million hectares. 
• Europe surpassed 100,000 hectares of biotech crops for the first time in 2007 with 77 percent growth. In EU, 8 of the 27 countries planted biotech crops in 2007. 
• Poland and Chile planted biotech crops for the first time in 2007, bringing the total  countries planting biotech crops to 23

For the Executive Summary of the 2007 ISAAA report log on to http://www.isaaa.org. Translations are also available online in Arabic, Bangla, French, Spanish (Spain), Thai, and Vietnamese. A report summary by Dr. Clive James is also available in video format in the same website..