GM Crops: The First Ten Years - International Service for the ...
GM Crops: The First Ten Years - International Service for the ...
GM Crops: The First Ten Years - International Service for the ...
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<strong>GM</strong> <strong>Crops</strong>: <strong>The</strong> <strong>First</strong> <strong>Ten</strong> <strong>Years</strong><br />
3.2.3 O<strong>the</strong>r countries<br />
Herbicide tolerant maize has been grown commercially in South Africa since 2003, and in 2005<br />
19,000 hectares out of total plantings of 1.54 million ha were herbicide tolerant. <strong>The</strong> estimated<br />
cumulative farm income benefit earned (industry source estimates of <strong>the</strong> cost savings per hectare<br />
based on about $4/ha) has been $273,000.<br />
Herbicide tolerant maize was also first planted commercially in 2004 in Argentina and <strong>the</strong> 2005<br />
area planted to <strong>GM</strong> HT maize was about 70,000 ha (2.5% of <strong>the</strong> total maize crop). <strong>The</strong> estimated<br />
cumulative farm income benefit earned from using this technology, by 2005 was $237,000.<br />
3.2.4 Summary of global economic impact<br />
In global terms, <strong>the</strong> farm level economic impact of using <strong>GM</strong> HT technology in maize was $212<br />
million in 2005 (96% of which was in <strong>the</strong> US). Cumulatively since 1997, <strong>the</strong> farm income benefit<br />
has been (in nominal terms) $795 million.<br />
In terms of <strong>the</strong> total value of maize production in <strong>the</strong> two main countries using this technology in<br />
2005 (US and Canada), <strong>the</strong> additional farm income generated by <strong>the</strong> technology is equal to a value<br />
added equivalent of 0.82%.<br />
3.3 Herbicide tolerant cotton<br />
3.3.1 <strong>The</strong> US<br />
<strong>GM</strong> HT cotton was first grown commercially in <strong>the</strong> US in 1997 and by 2005, was planted on 61%<br />
of total cotton plantings 28 .<br />
<strong>The</strong> farm income impact of using <strong>GM</strong> HT cotton is summarised in Figure 10. <strong>The</strong> primary benefit<br />
has been to reduce costs, and hence improve profitability levels with average profitability increasing<br />
by between $21/ha and $49/ha 29 , resulting in a net gain to farm income in 2005 of $161 million.<br />
Cumulatively since 1997 <strong>the</strong> farm income benefit has been $919 million. In added value terms,<br />
<strong>the</strong> effect of reduced cost of production on farm income in 2005 was equivalent to an annual<br />
increase in production of 3% (151,000 tonnes).<br />
28 Although <strong>the</strong>re have been <strong>GM</strong> HT cultivars tolerant to glyphosate and bromoxynil, glyphosate tolerant cultivars have dominated<br />
29 <strong>The</strong> only published source that has examined <strong>the</strong> impact of HT cotton in <strong>the</strong> US is work by <strong>the</strong> NCFAP in 2001, 2003 and 2005.<br />
In <strong>the</strong> 2001 study <strong>the</strong> costs saved were based on historic patterns of herbicides used on conventional cotton in <strong>the</strong> mid/late 1990s.<br />
<strong>The</strong> latter studies estimated cost savings on <strong>the</strong> basis of <strong>the</strong> conventional herbicide treatment that would be required to deliver <strong>the</strong><br />
same level of weed control as <strong>GM</strong> HT cotton<br />
18