Newsletter April 2013 - CropLife Africa Middle East

CropLife CropLife Africa Africa Middle East
Newsletter Newsletter
Number 89
April 2013
Stewardship
CropLife Egypt signs Stewardship Protocol with MOA Egypt
CropLife Egypt (CLE) and the Agricultural Pesticides Committee
(APC) of the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture signed a Memorandum
of Understanding to setup and operate stewardship activities at
national level.
Sarwat Sakr, Chairman, CLE and Prof. Dr. Mohamed Abdel Meguid,
Chairman, APC signed the MoU, under the auspices and
endorsement of Dr. Salah Abdel Moomen, Minister of Agriculture.
The protocol outlines the framework of the partnership between
CropLife and the MoA in the following activities:
The sustainable execution of training and certification of pesticide
operators, applicators and growers in Egypt based on GlobalGAP
L – R, Prof. Dr. Mohamed Abdel Meguid, Chairman, Agricultural Pesticides
Committee (APC), HE Prof. Dr Salah Abdel Moomen, Minister of
Agriculture and Land Reclamation Egypt, Sarwat. Sakr, Chairman,
CropLife Egypt and Prof. Dr. Yehya Abdel Hamid, Vice Chairman APC.
To recognize and regulate the protocol developed by CLE
and APC.
The official certification of the 56 Master Trainers.
The training and certification of 200 operators through 7
training programs (groups of 30) from March 2013.
The practical training for 1000 applicators (spray men) through 25 training interventions.
The establishment of 20 spray units (private associations) to be licensed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Land
Reclamation (MALR).
The official launch of the project to be under the auspices of MALR.
A workshop assessment covering the project to be undertaken.
Supporting IPM and Responsible Use programs
Train an additional 15 Master Trainers.
Organize 4 workshops at farmer / retailer /exporter level covering the Responsible Use of pesticides.
Management and alleviation of counterfeit pesticides and the respective illegal trade
The increase of the public budget allocation for use against counterfeiting and illegal trade.
To intensify the monitoring and surveillance of the Duty Free Zones and border control points.
To empower the National Anti-Counterfeiting Council with greater executive powers. The issuance of stricter legislation to
incriminate counterfeiting and illegal trade in relation to IPR infringement. This subject is currently in progress through
Cabinet.
The protocol covers a period of one year, to be renewed annually. The official event to launch the project and media announcement
will be in the first half of April 2013.
Attendance will include CLE members and APC management in addition to senior authorities of the MoA, invitations will
include media and newspapers.
Sarwat Sakr / Said Abdella CropLife Egypt
Representing the Plant Science Industry

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CropLife Africa Middle East Newsletter Number 89
April 2013
CropLife Sudan (SAGA) Obstocks Assessment
Professor Nabil Bahseer expert on Obstocks and Hans
Dobson of CropLife
Above Right:: R-L Dr.Abdelahim, Federal Minister of Agriculture and irrigation,
Mr.Sirlkhatim, Chairman SAGA and Mr. Khidir Gibreel, Registrar of the NPC, attending
the obstocks workshop at the Grand Holiday Villa-Khartoum.
Hans Dobson of CropLife International visited Sudan 15-20 Marsh to meet with various authorities and concerned stakeholders
on the issue of the large quantities of obsolete stocks of pesticides in the country.
His activities covered the following:
Meeting with the Executive Board of the Sudan Agrochemicals Association (SAGA) and the Registrar of the National
Pesticides Council (NPC).
Visiting two depots in the Wad Medani, of Gezira State and meetings with the officials and stakeholders in the region.
Meeting with the Federal Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation and the Federal Minister of Health.
Participating at a workshop on obsolete stocks held at the Grand Holiday Villa on 19 March and addressing the issue of
obsolete stocks with a CropLife perspective. This visit was highly valued by SAGA and viewed as a serious start of a
Sudanese strategy to deal with obsolete pesticides in the country.
CropLife Uganda: IPM / RU Training
Mohamed Abdella Ali, SAGA
Group Participants
Calibration Exercise
A “4 day” training of the Field Coordinators and staff of member companies in Uganda took place week commencing 18 March.
The training covered both IPM / RU as a follow-up to last years December meeting, and anti-counterfeit training.
Participants underwent both, a pre, and post evaluation. They also prepared a training on IPM and “scouting for farmers.
Results were particularly good for the written tests.
Evelyn Lusenaka
Representing the Plant Science Industry

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CropLife Africa Middle East Newsletter Number 89
April 2013
CropLife Côte d’Ivoire and Directorate of Plant Protection Discuss Training Activities
Above Left: R. Yeboué, Executive Secretary, CropLife CI, reading the conclusions of the meeting : Above Left: Following the presentation of the report
on the 2012 training session by M. Dosso, President, CropLife CI, to the Director of Agriculture and Food Security.
On 10 March, members of CropLife Côte d’Ivoire together with Bama Yao met with the Director General of Agriculture and
Food Security, Director and Deputy of Plant Protection, Min Agric, in Abidjan, to discuss elements of training.
The prime topic covered hinged on;
The follow up on the dealers training activities, and the strengthening of the dealer training scheduled for December 2013.
CropLife Côte d’Ivoire presented to the meeting the training modules targeting dealers, applicators, extension officers and
agents. Joint debate led to the following recommendations:
That an impact assessment needs to be undertaken.
That CropLife Côte d’Ivoire and Min Agric should jointly consider introducing a training brochure.
That trainees and newly appointed officers of the Plant Protection Directorate of Min Agric should attend the training course.
That CropLife Côte d’Ivoire should consider organizing training sessions in cities or regions of high pesticide usage.
That the participation of pesticide control agents be used in the training of customs officers, particularly those assigned for
control at country borders.
That a national seminar, with the commitment of a ministerial committee, should be considered to strengthen the fight against
the illegal pesticide trade. Prior to such an event-taking place, CropLife Côte d’Ivoire and Min Agric needs to embark on a
communications program.
Bama Yao
Representing the Plant Science Industry

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CropLife Africa Middle East Newsletter Number 89
April 2013
SSP Training of Trainers for WCF Project
A group exercise
session (L) followed
by a demonstration
on a mist blower
(R) (c ou rte s y:
CropLife Nigeria)
Training dates were 26 Feb – 6 March in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria and 18 – 22 March, in Bassam, Côte d’Ivoire and Kumasi,
Ghana. The objective was to train field officers from member companies of the national associations to serve as SSP trainers
for the implementation of WCF-ACI program.
Nigeria: 18 participants (two female) attended the theoretical session during the first week; they then facilitated a practical
session for 15 lead farmers during the second week.
Côte d’Ivoire & Ghana: 16 participants (including one female) attended the first week for the theoretical session in Côte d’Ivoire,
and 15 in the session in Ghana.
In Côte d’Ivoire a one-day ToT was conducted, as most of the participants had never participated in a regular ToT program.
This introduction was found very useful as reported in the course evaluation.
The practical field sessions in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire are scheduled for 8 – 12 April and 22 – 26 April respectively, this to
meet the needs of the member companies.
Bama Yao
A group working
on a mist blower
(L) to identify
different parts
and their funct
i o n s ( R )
( c o u r t e s y :
CropLife CI).
A participant
facilitating a
session on preparation
before the
application of
p e s t i c i d e s
( c o u r t e s y :
CropLife CI).
Representing the Plant Science Industry

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CropLife Africa Middle East Newsletter Number 89
April 2013
IPR Anti-Counterfeiting
Workshop on the Practical Approaches to IP Utilization and Protection in Africa – Dar es Salaam
19 – 21 March
Organized by:
The Africa Intellectual Property Group (AIPG) & The U.S. Department of Commerce
Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP)
In coordination with: The Government of Tanzania
The East African Community (EAC)
U.S. Embassy Dar es Salaam
Hon. Dr. Abdallah Kigoda (MP), Minister of Industry,
Trade, and Marketing
Ambassador Dr. Konji Sebati, Director, Department of Traditional Knowledge
and Global Challenges, WIPO
The Hon. Dr. Abdallah Kigoda (MP), Minister of Industry, Trade, and Marketing, undertook the Opening Address.
There were in excess of 150 delegates, which provided the opportunity for networking. CLAME was suitably represented with
5 participants.
Presentations of professional interest included:
The IP and Development Question: How intellectual property and development intersect in Africa.
Investment, Commerce and Intellectual Property: Robust IPR protection and enforcement are crucial to facilitating
commerce, and attracting investment.
Consumer Protection and the Dangers of Counterfeit Goods: Combating counterfeit products that pose a threat to
public health and safety on the African Continent.
Establishing African Brands: Exchange of experiences in trademark branding, value capture and commercialization.
Counterfeits and Pirated Goods: Trans-Border Issues: Tackling the issues involved in the interdiction of counterfeit and
pirated goods across borders.
Representing the Plant Science Industry

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CropLife Africa Middle East Newsletter Number 89
April 2013
Marie-Flore Johnson, Attorney-
Prosecutor, Computer Crime and
Intellectual Property Section, U.S.
Department of Justice
CropLife, represented: L-R, Richard Sikuku,
Wynand van der Walt , Harish Dhutia and
Ernest Massae
Scoring with IP: The juncture of sports and IP – well-known trademarks, sports broadcasting and related issues in
Africa
Promoting African Culture Through IP: Exchange of experiences concerning the protection and monetization of
traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions in Africa.
Agricultural Innovation in Africa: Harnessing agricultural innovation in Africa through IPR, as well as dealing with issues
in counterfeiting of agricultural inputs.
Facilitating Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Public and Private Sector Efforts: Increasing African competitiveness
through innovation policies, franchising, licensing and commercialization of R & D, entrepreneurship and effective
technology transfer.
Practical Keys to Effective Criminal IPR Enforcement: Best practices, experiences, and trends in addressing IPR
infringement through investigative, prosecutorial and judicial measures.
Les Hillowitz
Representing the Plant Science Industry

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CropLife Africa Middle East Newsletter Number 89
April 2013
Regulatory
Minor Use Registration workshop, Rabat, Morocco, February 12-13, 2013
Group Participants
On February 12-13, 2013 a multi-stakeholder workshop focusing on minor use / minor crop registration issues, was held in
Rabat, Morocco. This workshop was planned as a result of in-country pesticide consultations held in Morocco in April 2012
with Morocco’s National Food Safety Office (ONSSA), the National Institute for Agronomic Research (INRA), the Autonomous
Establishment for Export Control and Coordination (EACCE), vegetable and strawberry export trade association (ASPEM and
AMCEF), and pesticide trade associations (CropLife and PROTECO). The key and unanimous recommendation from those
consultations was that a multi-sector workshop be held to develop a minor use strategic plan in Morocco. ONSSA (the Food
Safety Authority) was particularly focused on the need to “resolve” the minor use situation in Morocco and communicated a
sense of urgency for technical assistance efforts on this topic.
*Debra Edwards (USDA Pesticide Consultant) and Elizabeth Johnson (FAS/USDA) facilitated the workshop
CropLife Morocco successfully contributed and actively participated at this workshop.
Discussion Points:
As during the consultation in 2012, mint is a focus of concern for the lack of pesticide registrations in Morocco, illegal
pesticide residues, and lack of MRLs in export markets. Though some new low-risk products have come onto the
market (e.g., spinosad and Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)), these are more expensive than the more toxic organochlorine
and organophosphate products currently in use and for which no clearances exist (chlorpyrifos, dimethoate, endosulfan,
etc.).
ONSSA continues to be very engaged in the minor crop registration issue and has shown considerable initiative in
seeking ways to extrapolate efficacy data for minor crops from other countries with similar pest control problems and
climatic conditions (e.g., southern Europe).
Representing the Plant Science Industry

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CropLife Africa Middle East Newsletter Number 89
April 2013
Minor Use Registration workshop, Rabat, Morocco, February 12-13, 2013 cont..
The EACCE and ASPEM participants both spoke of a proposal in the works to establish a technical center to assist small
acreage growers. The technical center would consist of three sections (1) Nursery/Certified seedlings, (2) Pilot farms for
experimentation on small acreages, and (3) A training center to provide technical support to growers, including in the area of
marketing. The proposal has been in the works for two years. These groups voiced a clear need for more information transfer
from government sources.
CropLife Morocco suggested that future event planners should work to include crop producers and pesticide distributors. The
CropLife presentation focused on: (1) need for better communication with and training of small farmers, (2) problems with
counterfeit/smuggled pesticides, (3) the need to update the pesticide regulatory laws, and (4) the need for a National
Multi-Stakeholder Committee to review the list of minor crops annually.
A continued emphasis on the need for extension efforts and awareness programs for small growers was mentioned multiple
times by many of the stakeholders. There are current efforts by USAID, FAO, and ONSSA in collaboration with Moroccan
government and research organizations to train small farmers, but better communication is needed to ensure awareness of the
trainings to the pertinent audience.
At the close of the workshop, ONSSA committed to coordinate the selection of priorities for the Global Minor Use Field Trial
Project (tropical fruit) as well as for mint. The consensus was that it would benefit Morocco to be involved in the project and
associated training and that training in risk assessment would also be useful.
Extract from “Trip Report” – Debra Edwards, PhD Independent Consultant (Univ. MO)
CEMAC-CPAC Regulatory Initiative
L - R, J. Biakath,
Chairman Stewardship
Committee CropLife
Cameroon, B. Yao,
CropLife AME, Mrs. C.
Azouyangui, Director
General, and B.
Bouato, Permanent
Secretary CPAC during
t h e m e e t i n g i n
Yaoundé, Cameroon
On 22 March in Yaoundé, Mrs Catherine Azouyangui, Director, and Benoît Bouato, Permanent Secretary of CPAC, Jean
Biakath, Chairman of Stewardship Committee, CropLife Cameroon and Bama Yao, Regional Coordinator met to plot progress
of, and planned activities of CPAC, since the last meeting in December. The following was noted:
That Mrs Catherine Azouyangui, appointed as Director General has taken up her post.
That no progress has been made on the relationship between CPAC and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development (MINADER).
That CPAC should take the first step by contacting the Minister to settle the situation and provide a sound regulatory
environment and policies to attract products.
That both the Director General and the Permanent Secretary will attend the annual workshop in Accra. This will be the
right opportunity for the planned support (registration procedures, GAP/PoR) to the CPAC initiative to be implemented.
Bama Yao
Representing the Plant Science Industry

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CropLife Africa Middle East Newsletter Number 89
April 2013
Association Management
Agrochemicals Association of Kenya holds Annual General Meeting (CropLife Kenya)
L-R, Raphael Kiguta, Treasurer and Kuria Gatonye, Chairman
The Agrochemicals Association of Kenya, the umbrella organization of manufacturers and distributors of crop and pest control
products in Kenya held its Annual General meeting on the 27 March at the Serena Hotel Nairobi.
Kuria Gatonye who is the current Chairman was re-elected for a further term.
The Chairman’s speech highlighted the areas that the incoming Executive Committee will address during their term and included
the following:
Anti-counterfeiting activities with a focus on CropLife Kenya’s “3 pillars” namely; training and awareness, development of
a clean supply chain and law enforcement and collaboration.
Management of obsolete pesticides and empty pesticide containers by:
1. Developing and improving systems to help manage obsolete pesticides.
2. Continue with container collection and disposal programs in the pilot area with a view of gradually developing
the same in other parts of the country.
Kuria highlighted the fact that the success of activities will only work if other stakeholders, both the public and private sectors,
are involved. This is more particular to obsolete pesticides and container management programs.
Richard Sikuku, CropLife Kenya
Representing the Plant Science Industry

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CropLife Africa Middle East Newsletter Number 89
April 2013
CropLife Uganda holds AGM
CropLife Uganda held their 7th Annual General Meeting
on 26 March 2013 at the Fairway Hotel, Kampala.
Attendance included 8 CropLife member companies and
6 observers. Michael Odong, Principal Agriculture
Inspector, officially opened the meeting, and who
welcomed the strong partnership between MAAIF and
CropLife Uganda. Hon. Deus Bikwasizehi, Patron of
CropLife Uganda, later closed the meeting.
The newly elected Executive Committee is as follows;
Stephen Matovu
Anastase Rubangura
Godfrey Ongom
(Chairman)
(Secretary)
(Treasurer)
Major points highlighted during the meeting included;
The need to establish a levy system on all imported crop
protection products and fertilizers. This would support
the national Safe Use program, the management of
empty pesticide containers and the eradication of
counterfeit products. It was agreed that the new
committee should come up with a firm proposal on the
establishment of a levy system to be presented to the
Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry
and Fisheries (MAAIF), Crop Protection Department.
From right: Anastase Rubangura, Godfrey Ongom, Hon Deus Bikwasizehi,
Stephen Matovu, Betty Atto and Michael Odong
The meeting was informed that for the year 2012 /2013;
CropLife Uganda’s main activities depended solely on
donors’ funding, namely:
The SMS Scratch Pilot supported by CropLife Africa
Middle East.
The anti-counterfeiting campaigns funded successfully
by the Agri-Business Initiative Trust with the support
from CropLife Africa Middle East.
The meeting tasked the new committee to identify
mechanisms of generating more income into the
Association in order to be less dependent on donor
funding.
A proposal was made that CropLife Uganda should
develop a “business plan” covering the next five years
and in the event that funds were available, to hire a
consultant to handle this undertaking.
A further proposal was made in that CropLife Uganda
should take up the spray Service Provider (SSP)
concept. This would be a good tool to expand
stewardship practices.
The meeting tasked the new committee to amend the
CropLife Uganda constitution.
Betty Atto, CropLife Uganda
Front row: (from right) Paul Kyabaggu, Michael Odong, Hon Deus Bikwasizehi,
Stephen Matovu and Anastase Rubangura
Representing the Plant Science Industry

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CropLife Africa Middle East Newsletter Number 89
April 2013
CropLife Mauritius held their AGM on 21 March.
The new Executive Committee for 2013 is as follows:
CropLife Mauritius holds AGM
Philippe Le Vieux
Dani Joseph
Clifford Dove
Bernard de Robillard
Dineshing Goburdhun
Murveen Ragobar
President
Vice President
Secretary
Asst Secretary
Treasurer
Asst Treasurer
At the meeting it was announced that Mukesh Rughoo would
replace Serge L’Ecluse as Executive Secretary of the
association.
Mukesh retired from the MSIRI as Head of the Foodcrop
Department. He was very active in development projects and
recently participated in the TOT run by Manon Dohmen.
Dani Joseph, CropLife Mauritius
L-R, Philippe Le Vieux and Mukesh Rughoo
CropLife South Africa Holds AGM
Kobus Steenekamp
CropLife South Africa held their AGM on Tuesday 26 March and the following
were elected to serve on the Executive Committee:
Kobus Steenekamp
Marius Boshoff
Antonie Delport
Henk van der Westhuizen
Rod Foran
Marcel Dreyer
Johan du Plessis
Hugo Minnaar
Leon Smith
Jacques du Preez
Roy Cackett
Chris van Eeden
Monsanto SA (President)
Enviro Crop Protection (Vice President)
Syngenta SA
Philagro SA
Dow Agrosciences SA
Arysta Lifescience SA
Makhteshim-Agan SA
Nulandis
Klub M5
Nexus AG
Farmers-Agricare
Novon Retail Company
Tom Mabesa CropLife South Africa
Representing the Plant Science Industry

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CropLife Africa Middle East Newsletter Number 89
April 2013
Plant Biotechnology
Partners and Stakeholders’ Coordination Meeting on Biosafety Capacity Development in Africa
5 – 6 March and CLI Africa Partners Meeting: 7 – 8 March, Accra, Ghana.
Mr. Fredua Agyman, Director for Environment Science, and Technology & Innovation on behalf of the Hon. Minister, undertook
the keynote address for Environment Science, Technology & Innovation, Ghana.
A second prominent guest was Mr. Ouro-Djeri, Director du Cabinet, Ministry of Environment & Forest Affairs, Togo.
The objectives of the workshop were:
To bring together leading biotechnology and biosafety stakeholders and providers of technical assistance to share experiences
and analyze the key capacity building needs and emerging challenges regarding the development and implementation of
workable regulatory frameworks at the national and sub-regional levels
To strengthen the alignment among biosafety service providers and stakeholders to build future collaborative efforts in biosafety
capacity development
To identify action steps and responsibilities to move biotechnology and biosafety agenda forward in Africa
Key points:
Program updates and plans for the following selected countries were covered:
Kenya
Ghana
Malawi
The following emerging “country opportunities” were addressed:
Cameroon
Ethiopia
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Progress towards sub-regional frameworks for biotechnology and biosafety were addressed covering:
COMESA
ECOWAS / WAEMU
SADC
Sudan became the fourth country in Africa to commercialize biotechnology with the planting of 20,000 ha Bt cotton.
By 2015, at least 10 countries will have commercialized biotechnology in Africa.
With regard to the CLI Africa Partners Meeting, the following was addressed:
Malawi
Uganda
Ghana
Kenya
Zimbabwe
South Africa
PBS and AfricaBio (AfricaBio led the development discussions)
PBS, AATF and UBBC (UBBC led the development discussions)
PBS, Africa Harvest, AATF (PBS led the development discussions)
ABSF, Africa Harvest, ISAAA, AATF (ABSF led the development discussions)
AfricaBio, AATF (AATF led the development discussions)
AfricaBio (AfricaBio led the development discussions)
Representing the Plant Science Industry

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CropLife Africa Middle East Newsletter Number 89
April 2013
Other country analysis covered the following:
Mozambique
Tanzania
Ethiopia
Zambia
Southern Sudan
Mali
Togo
Cameroon
Niger
Nigeria
The opportunity was taken to present an “Introduction to
CLAME” and to explore synergisms where the crop
protection network in Africa could assist in promoting the
benefits plant biotechnology. This area needs to be
explored further.
Mr. Ouro-Djeri, Director du Cabinet, Ministry of Environment & Forest
Affairs, Togo
Les Hillowitz
Group Participants
Representing the Plant Science Industry

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CropLife Africa Middle East Newsletter Number 89
April 2013
TOP TEN FACTS about Biotech/GM Crops in 2012
FACT # 1. 2012 was the 17th year of successful commercialization of biotech crops. Biotech
crops were first commercialized in
1996. Hectarage of biotech crops increased every single year
between 1996 to 2012 with 12 years of double digit growth rates,
reflecting the confidence and trust of
millions of risk-averse farmers around the world, in both developing and industrial
countries.
FACT # 2. Biotech crop hectares increased by an unprecedented 100–fold from 1.7 million
hectares in 1996, to over 170 million
hectares in 2012. This makes biotech crops the fastest
adopted crop technology in recent times – the reason – they deliver
benefits. In 2012, hectarage of
biotech crops grew at an annual growth rate of 6%, up 10.3 million from 160 million hectares in
2011. Millions of farmers in ~30 countries worldwide, have made more than 100 million independent
decisions to plant an
accumulated hectarage of ~1.5 billion hectares, equivalent to 50% more than
the total land mass of the US or China; this
reflects the fact that biotech crops deliver sustainable and
substantial, socioeconomic and environmental benefits.
FACT # 3. For the first time in 2012, developing countries planted more hectares than industrial
countries. Notably, developing
countries grew more, 52%, of global biotech crops in 2012 than
industrial countries at 48%. In 2012, growth rate for biotech
crops was at least three times as fast, and
five times as large in developing countries, at 11% or 8.7 million hectares, versus 3%
or 1.6 million
hectares in industrial countries.
FACT # 4. Number of countries growing biotech crops. Of the 28 countries, which planted biotech
crops in 2012, 20 were
developing and 8 were industrial countries; two new countries, Sudan (Bt
cotton) and Cuba (Bt maize) planted biotech crops for
the first time in 2012. Germany and Sweden
could not plant the biotech potato "Amflora" because it ceased to be marketed.
Stacked traits are an
important feature – 13 countries planted biotech crops with two or more traits in 2012, and notably, 10
of
the 13 were developing countries – 43.7 million hectares, or more than a quarter, of the 170 million
hectares were stacked in
2012.
FACT # 5. Number of farmers growing biotech crops. In 2012, a record 17.3 million farmers, up
0.6 million from 2011, grew
biotech crops – remarkably over 90%, or over 15 million, were small
resource-poor farmers in developing countries. Farmers
are the masters of risk-aversion and in 2012, a
record 7.2 million small farmers in China and another 7.2 million in India, elected
to plant almost 15
million hectares of Bt cotton, because of the significant benefits it offers. In 2012 over one-third of a
million
small farmers in the Philippines benefited from biotech maize.
FACT # 6. The top 5 countries planting biotech crops. The US continued to be the lead country
with 69.5 million hectares, with
an average ~ 90% adoption across all crops. Brazil was ranked
second, and for the fourth consecutive year, was the engine of
growth globally, increasing its hectarage
of biotech crops more than any other country – an impressive record increase of 6.3
million hectares,
up 21% from 2011, reaching 36.6 million hectares. Argentina retained its third place with 23.9 million
hectares.
Canada was fourth at 11.8 million hectares with 8.4 million hectares of canola at a record
97.5% adoption. India was fifth,
growing a record 10.8 million hectares of Bt cotton with an adoption
rate of 93%. In 2012, each of the top 10 countries planted
more than 1 million hectares providing a
broad foundation for future growth
FACT # 7. Status of biotech crops in Africa. The continent continued to make progress with South
Africa increasing its biotech
area by a record 0.6 million hectares to reach 2.9 million hectares; Sudan
joined South Africa, Burkina Faso and Egypt, to bring
the total number of African biotech countries
commercializing biotech crops to four. Five countries, Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi,
Nigeria and Uganda
conducted field trials of biotech crops, the penultimate step prior to approval for commercialization. The
lack of appropriate, science-based and cost/time-effective regulatory systems continue to be the
major constraint to adoption.
Responsible, rigorous but not onerous, regulation is needed, particularly
for small and poor developing countries.
FACT # 8. Status of biotech crops in the EU. Five EU countries, (Spain, Portugal, Czechia, Romania
and Slovakia) planted a
record 129,071 hectares of biotech Bt maize, up 13% from 2011. Spain led the
EU with 116,307 hectares of Bt maize, up 20%
from 2011 with a record 30% adoption rate in 2012.
FACT # 9. Benefits offered by biotech crops. From 1996 to 2011, biotech crops contributed to Food
Security, Sustainability and
the Environment/Climate Change by: increasing crop production valued at
US$98.2 billion; providing a better environment, by
saving 473 million kg a.i. of pesticides; in 2011
alone reducing CO2 emissions by 23.1 billion kg, equivalent to taking 10.2
million cars off the road
for one year; conserving biodiversity by saving 108.7 million hectares of land; and helped alleviate
poverty for >15.0 million small farmers and their families totaling >50 million people, who are some
of the poorest people in the
world. Biotech crops are essential but are not a panacea and adherence to
good farming practices such as rotations and
resistance management, are a must for biotech crops as
they are for conventional crops.
FACT # 10. Future Prospects. Cautiously optimistic with more modest annual gains likely due to the
already high rates of
adoption in the principal biotech crops in mature markets in both developing and
industrial countries.
Clive James, ISAAA
Representing the Plant Science Industry

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CropLife Africa Middle East Newsletter Number 88
April 2013
General Assembly meeting CropLife Cameroon, Yaoundé
WCF-ACI SSP training, Kumasi Ghana
PSCA Registration Workshop: South Africa
WCF-ACI SSP training, Cameroon
WCA Hub and Regulatory Workshop, Accra
WCF-ACI SSP training, Côte d’Ivoire
CropLife Côte d’Ivoire-Pesticides Com for PoR follow-up activities
Container Management workshop, Zambia,
SSP Training, Tanzania
CleanFarms Ghana “closing workshop”
Association Management Training: CropLife Zambia
Association Management Training: CropLife Kenya
African Cocoa Initiative Steering Committee Meeting, Abidjan
Meeting of the Data Protection Steering Committee, Brussels
Training of customs officers and pesticide inspectors at borders
POR Project Team, Brussels
Regulatory Steering Committee, Brussels
Stewardship Steering Committee, Mannheim
CropLife Ghana-regulatory bodies for PoR follow-up
IPM & RU Project Team, Mannheim
Obstocks Steering Committee, Mannheim
INTERPOL Regional Anti-Counterfeiting workshop, Namibia,
Communications Steering Committee, Brussels,
European / ECPA Operator Exposure meeting, Bratislava
Strategy Council Meeting, Brussels
Anti CF Steering Committee, Brussels
Board Meeting 1-2013 and AGM 2013, Brussels
3 – 4 April
8 - 12 April
11 April
15-26 April
16 -17 April
22-26 April
24 April
25 April
23-26 April
3 May
6-7 May
9-10 May
7 May
13 May
Week 13 May
14 May
15-16 May
21 May
22 May
22 May
23 May
3-7 June
10-11 June
11 June
12 June
13 June
14 June
GROWING FOOD - CREATING RENEWABLES - SUPPLYING SUSTAINABLY
Representing the Plant Science Industry

Page 16
CropLife Africa Middle East Newsletter Number 89
April 2013
Contributors:
Bama Octave Yao (West-Central Africa)
Les Hillowitz (East-Southern Africa)
bama@croplifeafrica.org
les@croplifeafrica.org
GROWING FOOD - CREATING RENEWABLES - SUPPLYING SUSTAINABLY
Representing the Plant Science Industry