2009 as well: Cultivation of GM plants continues to rise

(24 February 2010) The cultivation of genetically modified plants continues to increase. In 2009, the global area increased once more by seven per cent to a total of 134 million hectares. Noticeable increases in area were found in Burkina Faso, Brazil and South Africa. GM plants are commercially used in 25 countries and in 15 of these have a cultivation area of more than 50,000 hectares.

Clive James, president of the agro-biotechnology agency ISAAA (International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications) and publisher of the annual report on the global development of the use of genetically modified plants in agriculture, presented the report in Beijing (China) on 23.02.2010. It cites 14 million farmers who cultivate such plants and who are, for the most part, small farmers in developing countries.

In the case of the culture types for which since 1998 GM varieties have been available, the 'GM area' has increased once more: for soya, this represents an expansion to 69 million hectares in 2009 (2008: 65.8 mil. ha.), for maize to 42 (37.3), for cotton to 16 (15.5) and for rapeseed to 6.4 (5.9). Seventy-seven per cent of the global soya production is conducted with GM varieties, as is the case with 49 per cent of global cotton production.

Genetically modified sugar beet, in its fourth year on the market in the USA, grew on 485,000 hectares in 2009 and represents thereby 96 per cent of the American sugar beet area.

Countries with the largest field areas for GM plants are the USA (64 mil. ha.), Brazil (21.4), Argentina (21.3), India (8.4) and Canada (8.2).

With a leap from 15.8 to 21.4 million hectares, Brazil recorded the greatest increase. Burkina Faso also was noteworthy: after the 2008 première of genetically modified cotton on 8,500 hectares, the field area already achieved a total of 115,000 hectares one year later. In China and Canada, the field area under GM cultivation decreased by slight amounts.

Similarly to 2008, the current ISAAA report lists 25 countries that use GM plants commercially. A new entry is Costa Rica. Germany was struck from the list of 'gene technology countries' after its institution of a cultivation ban in 2009.

James states the expectation of further growth spurts green gene technology in the coming years. In this context, he referred to the initiation of cultivation for GM rice in China in the next years as well as to the market entry of drought-tolerant maize beginning in 2012.

See also on GMO-Compass:

• USA: Further high degree of cultivation of genetically modified plants in 2009 (01 July 2009)
• China gives go-ahead for planting of GM rice and maize (28 November 2009)

Further information:

• ISAAA, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications
• ISAAA-Report 2009, executive summary