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AUS – GM TAKING OFF FOR POOR
23 November, 2005. Source: Clive James, The Australian via AgBioView GM Takes Off In Poor Economies
'While the West argues, the developing world is planting biotech crops'
This year, the billionth acre of genetically modified crops was planted, just 10 years after the first commercial planting of what are also called biotech crops. Since then the global hectarage of biotech crops has grown at unprecedented double-digit rates every year. Australia ranks 10th in terms of biotech crops area, with about 250,000ha of GM cotton, featuring Bacillus thuringiensis (or Bt) genes that confer resistance to insect pests and herbicide-tolerant genes.
GM crops are being embraced in developing countries where there is greater interest in high-yield, pest-resistant crops that -- quite simply -- can sustainably increase productivity of food, feed and fibre crops. Last year, the number of developing countries growing biotech crops (11) was almost double the number of industrial countries (six). More than 34 per cent of the global biotech crop area of 81 million hectares last year was grown in developing
countries.
Notably, biotech crops were grown by 8.25 million farmers in 17 countries last year. Ninety per cent of these were resource-poor farmers from developing countries whose increased incomes from biotech crops contributed to the alleviation of poverty. These included seven million resource-poor farmers in all the cotton-growing provinces of China, an estimated 300,000 small farmers
in India, subsistence farmers in the Makhathini Flats in KwaZulu Natal province in South Africa and in the other eight developing countries.
The continuing rapid adoption of biotech crops is testament to the economic, environmental, health and social benefits realised by farmers and society in industrial and developing countries. While Western countries debate the issues of GM crops -- possible health risks, helping only large biotech companies -- the reality is that developing countries are voting with their feet and planting GM crops because they offer what they need more of: increased income for the rural poor derived from the higher product fibre crops that can contribute to the alleviation of poverty.
Of all biotech-developing countries, China is likely to be the most influential in adopting GM crops, and what China is to Asia, Brazil is to Latin America and South Africa is to the continent of Africa. There is little doubt that China intends to be one of the world leaders in biotechnology, since Chinese policy-makers have concluded that there are unacceptable risks of being dependant on imported technologies for food, feed and fibre security.
A similar trend may also apply to the poorer and more agriculturally based countries of eastern Europe that have recently joined the European Union and those expected to join in 2007 and beyond. Last year there were signs of progress in the EU, with the EU Commission approving, for import, biotech maize for food and feed use, thus signalling the end of the 1998 moratorium. The commission also approved 17 maize varieties with insect resistance conferred by MON 810, making it the first biotech crop to be approved for planting in all 25 EU countries. The use of MON 810 maize, in conjunction with practical and equitable coexistence policies, opens up new opportunities for EU member countries to benefit from the commercialisation of biotech maize, which Spain has successfully deployed since 1998.
Economic benefits to producers from biotech crops in the US in 2003 were estimated at $1.9 billion while gains in Argentina for the 2001-02 season were $1.7 billion. China has projected potential gains of $5 billion in 2010, $1 billion from Bt cotton and $4 billion from Bt rice, which is expected to be approved in the near term.
A global study by Australian economists on biotech grains, oil seeds and fruit and vegetables projects a global potential gain of $210 billion by 2015; the projection is based on full adoption with 10 per cent productivity gains in high and middle-income countries, and 20 per cent in low-income countries.
The GM revolution has already taken hold. By 2010 there is likely to be more than 150 million hectares of GM crops, with up to 15 million farmers growing crops in up to 30 countries. This is a revolution that is being led by the developing world. Unconcerned with the debate in the West, countries such as China and India are simply going ahead and planting GM crops and reaping the benefits.
Clive James is chairman and founder of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications – www.isaaa.org.
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