Global status of commercialized transgenic crops: 2003

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David Kendra

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2004 10:02 pm

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Global status of commercialized transgenic crops: 2003
2003
International Service for the Acquistion of Agri-Biotech Applications
Clive James - Chair, ISAAA Board of Directors
http://www.isaaa.org/
Global Status of GM Crops in 2003
.. In 2003, the global area of transgenic crops continued to grow for the
seventh consecutive year at a sustained double-digit growth rate of 15%
compared with 12% in 2002. The estimated global area of GM crops for 2003
was 67.7 million hectares; this includes a provisional conservative estimate
of 3 million hectares of GM soybean in Brazil (the final hectarage could be
significantly higher), officially approved for planting for the first time
in 2003. It is noteworthy that a double-digit rate of 10% growth in GM crops
was sustained in 2003, even excluding the Brazilian hectarage. The 67.7
million hectares of GM crops in 2003, equivalent to 167 million acres was
grown by 7 million farmers in 18 countries, an increase from 6 million
farmers in 16 countries in 2002. The increase in area between 2002 and 2003
of 15% is equivalent to 9 million hectares or 22 million acres.
.. During the eight-year period 1996 to 2003, global area of transgenic crops
increased 40 fold, from 1.7 million hectares in 1996 to 67.7 million
hectares in 2003, with an increasing proportion grown by developing
countries. Almost one-third (30%) of the global transgenic crop area of 67.7
million hectares in 2003, equivalent to over 20 million hectares, was grown
in developing countries where growth continued to be strong. It is
noteworthy that the absolute growth in GM crop area between 2002 and 2003
was almost the same in developing countries (4.4 million hectares) and
industrial countries (4.6 million hectares), with the percentage growth more
than twice as high (28%) in the developing countries of the South compared
with the industrial countries of the North (11%).
GM Crop Area, by Country, Crop and Trait
.. In 2003, six principal countries, compared with four in 2002, grew 99% of
the global transgenic crop area; this reflects the broadening participation
of the lead GM countries with ten countries now growing 50,000 hectares or
more, of GM crops. The USA grew 42.8 million hectares (63% of global total),
followed by Argentina with 13.9 million hectares (21%), Canada 4.4 million
hectares (6%), Brazil 3 million hectares (4%), China 2.8 million hectares
(4%) and South Africa 0.4 million hectares (1%). Of the six leading GM crop
countries, China and South Africa had the highest year-on-year increase with
a 33% growth rate. China increased its Bt cotton area for the fifth
consecutive year from 2.1 million hectares in 2002 to 2.8 million hectares
in 2003, equivalent to 58% of the total cotton area of 4.8 million hectares
in 2003. South Africa increased its combined area of GM maize, soybean and
cotton to 0.4 million hectares in 2003 with particularly strong growth in
white maize used for food, which has increased rapidly from 6,000 hectares
in 2001 to 84,000 hectares in 2003. Canada's GM crop area grew at a
significant 26% between 2002 and 2003 to reach 4.4 million hectares with
increases totaling almost 1 million hectares in the three crops, canola,
maize and soybean. Despite the continuing economic constraints in Argentina,
and soybean adoption rates already close to 100% in 2002, its GM crop area
grew at 3% with strong growth in Bt maize. A growth rate of 10% was achieved
in the USA (3.8 million hectares) reflecting strong growth in both Bt and
herbicide tolerant maize, and continued growth in herbicide tolerant
soybean. GM crop hectarage in Australia decreased slightly because of the
continued severe drought, which is the worst in centuries, with total area
planted to cotton at approximately one third of normal plantings. India
increased its Bt cotton area by 100%; Spain also increased its Bt maize area
by one third to reach over 6% of the national maize crop in 2003. Uruguay
and Romania also reported significant growth, exceeding 50,000 hectares of
GM crops for the first time, whilst countries that introduced GM crops for
the first time in 2002, such as Colombia and Honduras reported modest
growth.
.. Two countries, Brazil and the Philippines approved planting of GM crops
for the first time in 2003.
Brazil officially approved herbicide tolerant soybean in late September
2003, immediately before the start of the planting season. This late
approval has exacerbated the difficulties in projecting provisional
estimates of GM soybean hectarage in Brazil for the 2003/2004 season. At the
time when this publication went to press, in late 2003, only 50% of soybeans
had been planted in Brazil. A provisional conservative estimate of 3 million
hectares of GM soybean has been projected for Brazil in 2003, in the
knowledge that the final planted hectarage of GM soybean in Brazil in 2003
could be significantly higher. The Philippines grew approximately 20,000
hectares of Bt maize for the first time in 2003. Brazil and the Philippines
joined 16 countries that already grew GM crops in 2002 for a total of 18 GM
crop countries in 2003; notably, 11 are developing countries compared with 7
industrial countries. Thus, the number of countries growing GM crops has
increased steadily from 6 in 1996, to 9 in 1998, to 13 in 2001, and 18 in
2003.
.. Globally, in 2003, growth continued in all four commercialized GM crops:
GM soybean occupied 41.4 million hectares (61% of global GM area), up from
36.5 million hectares in 2002; GM maize was planted on 15.5 million hectares
(23% of global GM area), up substantially from 12.4 million hectares in
2002, with the highest growth rate for all crops at 25% - this follows a 27%
growth rate in GM maize in 2002; transgenic cotton was grown on 7.2 million
hectares (11% of global GM area) compared with 6.8 million hectares in 2002;
and GM canola occupied 3.6 million hectares (5% of global GM area), up from
3.0 million hectares in 2001.
During the eight-year period 1996 to 2003, herbicide tolerance has
consistently been the dominant trait followed by insect resistance. In 2003,
herbicide tolerance, deployed in soybean, maize, canola and cotton occupied
73% or 49.7 million hectares of the global GM 67.7 million hectares, with
12.2 million hectares (18%) planted to Bt crops. Stacked genes for herbicide
tolerance and insect resistance deployed in both cotton and maize continued
to grow and occupied 8% or 5.8 million hectares, up from 4.4 million
hectares in 2002. The two dominant GM crop/trait combinations in 2003 were:
herbicide tolerant soybean occupying 41.4 million hectares or 61% of the
global total and grown in seven countries; and Bt maize, occupying 9.1
million hectares, equivalent to 13% of global transgenic area and grown in
nine countries. Whereas the largest increase in Bt maize was in the US,
growth was witnessed in all seven countries growing Bt maize. Notably, South
Africa grew 84,000 hectares of Bt white maize for food in 2003, a
substantial 14 fold increase from when it was first introduced in 2001.
Bt/herbicide tolerant maize and cotton both increased substantially,
reflecting a continuing trend for stacked genes to occupy an increasing
percentage of the area planted to GM crops on a global basis.
.. A useful way to provide a global perspective of the adoption of GM crops
is to express the global adoption rates for the four principal GM crops as a
percentage of their respective global areas. In 2003, 55% of the 76 million
hectares of soybean planted globally were transgenic - up from 51% in 2002.
Twenty-one percent of the 34 million hectares of cotton were GM, up from 20%
last year. The area planted to transgenic canola in 2003 was 16%, up from
12% in 2002. Finally, of the 140 million hectares of maize grown globally,
11% was GM in 2003 equivalent to 15.5 million hectares, up substantially
from 9% or 12.4 million hectares in 2002. If the global areas (conventional
and transgenic) of these four principal GM crops are aggregated, the total
area is 272 million hectares of which 25%, up from 22% in
2002, was transgenic in 2003. Thus, for the first time one quarter of the
aggregate area of the four crops, totaling over one quarter billion hectares
is GM. The biggest increase in 2003 was a 4.9 million hectares increase in
GM soybean equivalent to a 13% year-on-year growth, followed by a 3.1
million hectare increase in GM maize equivalent to a substantial 25%
year-on-year growth, which follows a 27% yearon- year growth in 2002.
The Potential Contribution of GM Crops
.. The World Food Program recently reported that the number of people
suffering from malnutrition increased by 25 million from 815 to 840 million.
The most compelling case for biotechnology, and more specifically GM crops,
is their capability to contribute to:
.. increasing crop productivity, and thus contribute to global food, feed and
fiber security;
.. conserving biodiversity, as a land-saving technology capable of higher
productivity;
.. more efficient use of external inputs, for a more sustainable agriculture
and environment;
.. increasing stability of production to lessen suffering during famines due
to abiotic and biotic stresses;
.. and, to the improvement of economic and social benefits and the
alleviation of abject poverty in developing countries.
.. The experience of the first eight years, 1996 to 2003, during which a
cumulative total of over 300 million hectares (approximately 750 million
acres, equivalent to almost one-third of the total land area of the US or
China) of GM crops were planted globally in 21 countries, has met the
expectations of millions of large and small farmers in both industrial and
developing countries.
In 2003, coincidental with evidential confirmation that commercialized GM
crops continue to deliver significant economic, environmental, and social
benefits to both small and large farmers in developing and industrial
countries, the global area of transgenic crops continued to grow at an
annual sustained double-digit growth rate of more than 10%. The number of
farmers that benefited from GM crops continued to grow and reached 7 million
in 2003, up from 6 million in 2002. Notably, more than 85% of these 7
million farmers benefiting from GM crops in 2003, were resource-poor farmers
planting Bt cotton, mainly in nine provinces in China and also in the
Makhathini Flats in KwaZulu Natal province in South Africa.
The Global Value of GM Crops
.. In 2003, the global market value of GM crops is estimated to be $4.50 to
$4.75 billion, having increased from $4.0 billion in 2002 when it
represented 15% of the $31 billion global crop protection market and 13% of
the $30 billion global commercial seed market. The market value of the
global transgenic crop market is based on the sale price of transgenic seed
plus any technology fees that apply. The global value of the GM crop market
is projected at $5 billion or more, for 2005.
Concluding Comments and Future Prospectives
.. Despite the on-going debate in the European Union, there is cause for
cautious optimism that the global area and the number of farmers planting GM
crops will continue to grow in 2004 and beyond. Taking all factors into
account, the outlook for the next five years points to continued growth in
the global hectarage of GM crops to approximately 100 million hectares, with
up to 10 million farmers growing GM crops in 25, or more, countries. The
global number and proportion of small farmers from developing countries
growing GM crops is expected to increase significantly. Established GM
country markets are continuing to grow in GM area, with a more diversified
portfolio of GM crop products available. New GM countries from the South,
like India and Brazil, have increased their hectarage of Bt cotton and
herbicide tolerant soybean respectively, and some like Uruguay have also
approved new products such as GM maize, already deployed in other countries.
New input trait products from industry that will contribute to sustained
growth include the dual Bt gene (cry1Ac and cry1Ab) in cotton and two new
traits introduced into maize in North America. The cry3Bb1 for corn rootworm
control, and the cry1Fa2 gene in Bt maize, with broader control of
lepidopteran pests were both introduced in the US in 2003. Furthermore, five
new Bt and novel gene products for maize insect resistance are expected to
be launched in the next three years. Thus, the global GM maize area with
insect resistance and herbicide tolerance traits, as well as the stacked
traits, is likely to increase significantly in the near to mid-term. With
the approval of GM soybean in Brazil for 2003/04, global GM soybean area is
likely to experience renewed high growth rates in the near to mid-term.
.. In 2003, the three most populous countries in Asia - China, India, and
Indonesia (total population 2.5 billion and a combined GDP of over $1.5
trillion), the three major economies of Latin America - Argentina, Brazil
and Mexico (population 300 million and a GDP of $1.5 trillion) and the
largest economy on the continent of Africa - South Africa (population 45
million and GDP of $130 billion) are all officially growing GM crops. Their
combined populations of 2.85 billion with a total GDP of over $3 trillion
are recipients of the significant benefits that GM crops offer. The top ten
GM crop countries, each of which grew 50,000 hectares or more of GM crops in
2003, had a combined population of approximately 3 billion, close to half
the world's population, with a combined GDP of $13 trillion, almost half of
the global GDP of $30 trillion. In 2003, GM crops were grown in 18 countries
with a combined population of 3.4 billion, living on six continents in the
North and the South: Asia, Africa and Latin America, and North America,
Europe and Oceania. Thus, despite the continuing controversy about GM crops,
the hectarage and number of farmers growing GM crops have continued to grow
at a double digit rate or more, every year since their introduction in 1996,
with 7 million farmers benefiting from the technology in 2003.

Klaus Wiegand

Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2004 5:18 pm

Guest

On Wed, 14 Jan 2004 03:02:16 GMT, "David Kendra"
<dkendra@DELETETHISinsightbb.com> wrote:

Quote:

the worldcard of isaaa's homepage shows an area of GM plantings in
germany. wow, these must be grown by ISAAA "stealth technology"..
there *IS* *NOT* a single square meter of commercialized transgenic
CROPS in germany except a few scientific test plots (which is not the
topic of the ISAAA survey, and their number is almost not worth
mentioning. as the information about them has to made public by EC
laws, investigative consumers are eager to get informed by ISAAA,
WHERE these counted plantings were/are located).

ISAAA uses the dumb and primitive "argumentum ad numerum". most other
things on earth (maybe except food) are getting more and more
expensive, only the arguments of the GM industry and their
organisations seem to get cheaper and cheaper over times...

if the rest of the data have been been produced by the same science
fiction, "quality" standards and wishful thinking, we must not wonder
about that CLAIMED "marvellous" increase in planting area.

+ ISAAA HYPES GM CROPS BY A FACTOR OF 20 OR MORE
The industry-backed International Service for the Acquistion of
Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) is claiming that "Genetically
engineered crop plantings increased 15 percent last year despite
continued consumer resistance in Europe and elsewhere". ISAAA's Clive
James said: "Farmers ... continue to rapidly adopt biotech crops
because of significant agronomic, economic, environmental and social
advantages".

Or do they? Where is the evidence? Where attempts have been made to
compare the figures in the ISAAA's annual surveys with other available
evidence, including controlled scientific trials, it appears that the
ISAAA's claims are either exaggerated by a factor of 20 or more, or
that they may actually be the very reverse of the truth.

Aaron deGrassi of the Institute of Development Studies provides an
example of how questionable ISAAA figures are in relation to GM cotton
farming in South Africa: "ISAAA implies that small farmers have been
using the technology on a hundred thousand hectares. Agricultural
Biotechnology in Europe - an industry coalition - suggests 5,000 ha of
'smallholder cotton.' The survey team suggests 3,000 ha." In other
words, ISAAA's figures are 20 times higher than even those claimed by
a biotech industry source.

Torsten Brinch

Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2004 7:09 pm

Guest

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 22:18:37 GMT, klaus.wiegand@t-online.de (Klaus
Wiegand) wrote:

Quote:

Ah, so I am not the only one wondering, Klaus.

Anyhow, even assuming ISAAA's figures (skipping all hype
and insignificant detail) this is what the figures -actually- show:

http://www.itass.dk/HA003X.gif

:-)

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