Biotech Crops Keep Growing as Consumer Doubts Persist

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). The latest report of The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) states that in 2002 the global acreage of biotech crops increased by 15 million acres, or 12%, over the previous year.

In 2002 more than 25% of global biotech acreage (145 million acres) was grown in developing countries. More than 20% of the global crop area of soybeans, corn, cotton, and canola acres were planted to biotech varieties.

ISAAA also reports that nearly six million farmers in 16 countries planted biotech crops in 2002, which was an increase of one million farmers over 2001. More than 75% of the farmers were resource-poor farming in developing countries. India, Colombia, and Honduras planted biotech crops for the first time.

Reviewing the proportion of biotech crop varieties in total, ISAAA says that cotton maintained its total of 16.8 million acres; corn grew 27% to 30.6 million acres; and canola increased 11% to 7.4 million acres. For the first time biotech soybeans now represent more than half of the global soybean crop, growing 10% to 90.2 million acres. US biotech acreage grew by around 8.2 million acres mainly due to significant increases in corn and soybean. The US, Argentina, Canada, and China continued to be the leading growers of biotech crops. More than 50% of China's cotton crop was biotech for the first time. For the first time more than half the world's population lives in countries where biotech crops are approved and grown.

ISAAA predicts that by 2005 the global market value of biotech crops will reach $5 billion. For 2002 the estimate was $4.25 billion and in 2001 $3.8 billion.

Biotech crops are also said to be contributing to a reduction in pesticide usage. Biotech cotton is estimated to eliminate the need for 33,000 tons of insecticide worldwide (40%). In 2001 six biotech crops planted in the US reduced pesticide use by 23,000 tons reports the ISAAA.

Funding for the ISAAA's projects comes from an international collection of government, agribusiness and industry sources that include Bayer CropScience, Mosanto Company, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Cargill, AgrEvo, Dow AgroSciences, the UN environment program (UNEP), US agency for international development (USAID), and USDA's APHIS.

Despite these impressive figures, doubts still exist with US farmers reported to be rejecting Biotech versions of sugar beet, potatoes, and sweet corn, as major food companies will not buy them. Mosanto's application in December 2002 to market genetically modified wheat has been opposed by US and Canadian growers who are apprehensive about rejection of the product by consumers. Critics also argue that only a few crops have been genetically engineered with soy, corn, canola, and cotton being the only widely grown types in 2002. Greenpeace claims that 70% of Biotech crops are going into animal feed as farmers are rejecting Biotech crops for food markets. Monsanto counter claims that 70% of processed food in the US includes Biotech crops.

US farm groups estimate the European Union (EU) ban on modified crops cost them $300 million a year. In January 2003 the US administration was moving to bring a case before the WTO against the moratorium on genetically modified foods. Despite the expected strong opposition from European consumer groups the US trade representative charged that the EU ban encouraged several famine threatened African nations to reject US food relief shipments containing genetically modified corn.