1st quarter 2007
Genetically modified plants: worldwide cultivation and significance for the economy and environment
The ISAAA (International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications) has published its report on the scope of cultivation of genetically modified (GM) plants around the world in 2006. According to the report, the cultivation of GM plants again increased in scope over the previous year, this time by 13% to a total of 102 million hectares. About 10.3 million farmers in 22 countries are currently growing GM plants, and an additional 29 countries have approved imports of GM plants for use both as animal feed and as food for human consumption. Of those 10.3 million farmers, 9.3 million are in developing countries: 6.8 million farmers in China alone and 2.3 million in India.
With 54.6 million hectares (ha) or 53% of the world’s total area under cultivation with GM crops, the USA continues to lead the world in the use of such technologies. Other major producers are Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India and China. The highest rate of growth in 2006, 191%, was in India, where the area devoted to growing insect-resistant cotton tripled. In South Africa, the area increased by 180%, and in the Philippines by 100%. The area cultivated with GM plants in Europe is relatively small, with 60,000 ha in Spain and 8,500 ha in France, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Slovakia and Germany.
The most frequently grown GM crop is still soybeans, which make up for 58.6 million ha or 57% of the total area under cultivation. This is followed by maize (25.2 million ha or 25%), cotton (13.4 million ha or 13%) and oilseed rape (4.8 million ha or 5%). The year 2006 saw the commercialisation of a new GM plant: herbicide-tolerant alfalfa (Lucern), which was grown on 80,000 ha in the USA. There were also small quantities of GM courgettes and GM papayas as well as GM rice in Iran, according to unofficial estimates.
The market value of GM plants grown in 2006 is estimated at US$ 6.15bn or 16% of the global market for crop protection chemicals or 21% of the global seed market. For 2007, the market value is expected to reach US$ 6.8bn. A study conducted by Brookes and Barfoot in 2006 states that farmers made additional profits of US$ 5bn for the year 2005. For the ten-year period from 1996 to 2005, additional profits totalled US$ 27bn. Over this ten-year period, the reduction in the use of pesticide was set at 224 million kg of agent, which corresponds to a 15% reduction in environmental impact as measured by the environmental impact quotient (EIQ).
Outlook:
The outlook for further growth in the cultivation of genetically modified plants is positive. It is expected that the first drought-resistant plants will enter commercial cultivation in 2010/11, along with GM plants incorporating quality features. Presumably, this will gradually improve the level of acceptance of agricultural genetic engineering in Europe as well.