Agri-Business
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Biotech crops gain increasing global popularity
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania – As East African policymakers and scientists continue debating about adopting biotech crops, globally, these crops have become the fastest adopted technology, a new study has revealed.
Titled, ‘Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM crops 2013’ it reveals that biotech crops (or GMOs) use has increased more than hundred-fold from 1.7 million hectares.
The report was prepared by Clive James, Founder and Emeritus Chair of International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA). Presenting a summary, Dr Emmarold Mneney, Principal Research Officer at Mikocheni Agricultural Research Institute said the adoption has now exceed 175 million hectares.
“A record 175.2 million hectares of biotech crops were grown globally in 2013, at an annual growth rate of three per cent, up five million from 170 million hectares in 2012,” Dr Mneney quoted the report.
He said, “This adoption rate speaks for itself in terms of its resilience and the benefits it delivers to farmers and consumers.”
He added, in the 18 year period 1996 to 2013, millions of farmers in 30 countries worldwide, adopted biotech crops at unprecedented rates.
“Of the 27 countries which planted biotech crops in 2013, 19 were developing and eight were industrial countries,” he said.
He said, “Each of the top 10 countries, of which eight were developing, grew more than one million hectares providing a broad-based worldwide foundation for continued and diversified growth in the future.”
The UK Secretary of States for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Owen Paterson told East African Business Week in London recently during a tour by the Bioscience for Framing in Africa, GMO crops are beneficial to small farmers.
“GM crops are designed to offer farmers easier, quicker and cheaper control over pests or weeds,” he said.
He said evidence demonstrates that they have delivered on this, proving economic benefits for farmers and consumers alike.
Paterson related how he met the Brazilian agriculture minister in Berlin and he told him that GM soya is 30% more cost effective than conventional soya. Soya is a key protein source for our livestock.
“Europe imports GM soya from those countries because it makes sense for us to do so. Sourcing non-GM soya can now cost between an extra 100 to 150 sterling ponds per ton.
In China, 7.5 million small farmers benefited from biotech cotton and in India there were 7.3 million beneficiary farmers.
The latest economic data available for the period 1996 to 2012 indicates that farmers in China gained $15.3 billion and in India $14.6 billion.
In addition to economic gains, farmers benefited enormously from at least a 50% reduction in the number of insecticide applications, meaning reducing farmer exposure to insecticides, and importantly contributed to a more sustainable environment and better quality of life.
By Leonard Magomba, Sunday, April 27th, 2014