Singapore, Feb 19, 2009: Biotech crops, on the heels of a robust 2008 and bolstered by increased political will to meet food demands, are poised for a second wave of strong adoption, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA). The organization believes that biotech crops will drive sustained global growth through the end of the second decade of commercialization 2006 to 2015.

In 2008, three new countries and 1.3 million new farmers were able to experience the benefits associated with biotech crops. Additionally, total planted area grew 10.7 million hectares, according to the ISAAA brief Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops 2008. ISAAA is said to have been tracking global biotech crop adoption trends since 1996.

In its annual study, ISAAA found that 13.3 million farmers in a record 25 countries planted 125 million hectares of biotech crops last year, the sixth largest growth spurt in 13 years of reporting. The two billionth cumulative acre of biotech crops also was planted in 2008, just three years after the first billionth acre, a milestone which required a decade to reach.

According to ISAAA, in 2008, India becomes fourth largest adopter of biotech crop in the world, displacing Canada to fifth ranking. India planted Bt cotton on 7.6 million hectare equivalent to 82 percent of the total cotton area in 2008, up from 6.2 million hectare equivalent to 66 percent in 2007. A record five million small and resource-poor farmers planted Bt cotton in 2008, which is significantly up from 3.8 million farmers in 2007. It is noteworthy that for the seven year period 2002-2008, there was a 150 fold increase in Bt cotton in India – this is four times the 74 fold increase for global biotech crops during the 13 year period 1996-2008. In India, growers increased income by up to $250 (Rs 10,000) or more per hectare, increasing farmer income nationally by $3.2 billion in the period 2002 to 2007 and $2 billion in 2007 alone.

“Biotech crops make two important contributions to global food security,” said Mr Clive James, Chairman, ISAAA and author of the report.. “First, they increase yields, which increase food availability and supply. Second, they reduce production costs, which will also ultimately help reduce food prices. With 9.2 billion people to be fed by 2050, biotechnology plays a crucial role in helping satisfy the growing demand.”

He also said that political leaders globally are increasingly viewing biotech enhanced crops as a key part of the solution to critical social issues of food security and sustainability.

According to ISAAA, in China, Premier Wen Jiabao has said “to solve the food problem, we have to rely on big science and technology measures, rely on biotechnology, rely on GM.” As a result, China has committed an additional $3.5 billion over 12 years for continued research and development. Biotech rice alone, already developed and field tested in China, has the potential to increase food availability and net income by about $100 per hectare for approximately 440 million people in the country.

By the end of the second decade of commercialization in 2015, ISAAA predicts that four billion accumulated acres will have been planted. Further, 200 million hectares of biotech crops annually will be planted in a total of 40 countries.

Australia planting herbicide-tolerant canola for the first time and ten countries reporting 22 million additional hectares of biotech crops with more than one biotech trait are all indicators suggesting a new wave of adoption.