Business Potential for Agricultural Biotechnology - Asian Productivity ...

Global Status and Trends of Commercialized Biotechnology in Crops
costs. Biotech crops offer substantial economic advantages to farmers compared with corresponding
conventional crops. The severity of weed and insect pests varies from year to year and
hence will directly impact pest control costs and the economic advantages of biotech crops in
any given time or place.
Distribution of Biotech Crops, by Trait
During the nine-year period 1996 to 2004, herbicide tolerance has consistently been the
dominant trait, with insect resistance second (Figure 2). In 2004, herbicide tolerance, deployed
in soybean, maize, canola, and cotton, occupied 72% of the 81.0 million ha (Table 3). There
were 15.6 million ha planted to Bt crops, equivalent to 19%, with stacked genes for herbicide
tolerance and insect resistance deployed in both cotton and maize occupying 9% of the global
biotech area in 2004. It is noteworthy that whereas the area of herbicide-tolerant crops increased
by a significant 18% (8.9 million ha) between 2003 and 2004, Bt crops increased at a higher
level of 28% (3.4 million ha). This increase in Bt crops reflects the significant increase in Bt
maize in 2004 (2.0 million ha) and the increase of Bt cotton (1.4 million ha) in China, India, and
Australia. Whereas most of the growth in Bt maize occurred in the U.S., there were also
significant increases in Bt maize area in Argentina, Canada, South Africa, Spain, and the Philippines.
The stacked traits of herbicide tolerance and insect resistance in both maize and cotton
increased by 17% in 2004, reflecting the needs of farmers who must simultaneously address the
multiple yield constraints associated with various biotic stresses. This trend will continue and
intensify as more traits become available to farmers, and it is an important feature of the
technology.
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Source: Clive James, 2004
Figure 2. Global Area of Biotech Crops, 1996–2004
by Trait (million ha)