More Farmers Favor Biotech Crops

Adoption of Agricultural Biotechnology Increased Eight Percent Over Past Year

Global adoption of biotech crop technology continues at unprecedented rates. According to Clive James – author of the annual biotech crop report released by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) – an additional 29.7 million acres were planted during 2011, which represents an annual growth rate of eight percent over 2010.

“Unprecedented adoption rates are testimony to overwhelming trust and confidence in biotech crops by millions of farmers worldwide,” James said. “Since biotech crop commercialization in 1996, farmers in 29 countries worldwide made more than 100 million decisions to plant and replant more than 1.25 billion hectares [approximately three billion acres] – an area of crop land 25 percent larger than the total land mass of the United States or China.”

During 2011, 395 million acres were planted (up from 367 million in 2010) by 16.7 million farmers in 29 countries, including 19 developing countries and 10 industrial countries. Such adoption represents a 94-fold increase in acres planted since 1996, making biotech crops the fastest adopted crop technology in recent history.

Developing countries adopted biotech crop technology twice as fast as large countries during 2011. Developing countries leading biotech adoption are Brazil and Argentina in Latin America; China and India in Asia; and South Africa on the continent of Africa – together, they represent 40 percent of the global population.

Advancements are being experienced throughout the world, and are very important to the overall landscape of global biotech commercialization.

Highlights noted in the report include:

• The U.S. continued to be the lead producer of biotech crops globally, at 170 million acres, with an average adoption rate of approximately 90 percent across principal biotech crops.
• Brazil ranks second only to the U.S. in acreage, with 75 million acres planted. For the third consecutive year, Brazil had the largest increase in the world at 12 million acres, representing an impressive year-over-year increase of 20 percent. 
• India celebrated a decade of successful cultivation of biotech cotton, which has transformed the cotton crop into the most productive and profitable crop in the country, with 26 million acres planted during 2011.
• China adopted biotech cotton on 71.5 percent of cotton acreage or 9.7 acres. Such growth was driven by seven million small, resource-poor farmers, who on average farm only 1.2 acres.
• The Philippines reported a 20 percent increase in acreage of biotech maize, planting 1.5 million acres. The Philippines is the only country in Asia that plants biotech maize.
• Africa planted 6.2 million acres of biotech crops, and is making advancements with field trials in the regulatory process for additional biotech crop countries and crops.

For more information or to view the executive summary, visit www.isaaa.org.