Biotech Updates

Increased GM Planting for Czech Republic

October 3, 2008

Czech Republic has currently 8,000 hectares of land planted to genetically modified maize, a 3,000 hectare increase over last year’s area, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. Continuing problems with the European corn borer has resulted to increased adoption of the GM maize by Czech farmers. Prague Daily Monitor reports that the number of GM maize growers rose by 40 year-on-year to 171. The GM crop was first cultivated in the country in 2005 on 270 hectares of land.

According to the news agency, most GM maize is grown in the Jihomoravsky region in southern Moravia (more than 2,000 hectares), followed by the Stredocesky region in central Bohemia (more than 1,600 hectares, including Prague) and Plzensky region in western Bohemia (more than 900 hectares).

For more information, read http://www.praguemonitor.com/en/426/czech_business/28204/