| Biotech Growth Helps Meet World Food Needs |
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| Written by NCGA | |
| Thursday, 19 February 2009 | |
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Washington, DC - The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) hailed a recent report on the growth of biotech crops as great news for corn farmers, and even better news for the world’s consumers - especially the world’s hungry. The report also detailed several ways in which these crops have contributed to sustainable development.
“Biotechnology provides a safe and efficient way to feed more people with less of an impact on our planet,” said Rob Korff, chairman of NCGA’s Biotechnology Working Group. “The adoption of biotech hybrids for corn worldwide can boost yield significantly.” Biotech crops are poised for a second wave of strong adoption that will drive sustained global growth through the end of the second decade of commercialization 2006 to 2015, according the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA). 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, or more than 26 million acres, according to the ISAAA brief Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops2008, released Feb. 11. ISAAA has 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 2 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. The report also listed seven ways in which biotechnology has supported sustainable development, by contributing to food security and affordability, conserving biodiversity, contributing to the alleviation of poverty and hunger, reducing agriculture’s environmental footprint, mitigating climate change and reducing greenhouse gases, contributing to the cost-effective production of biofuels and contributing to sustainable economic benefits. The advent of drought-tolerant corn, for example, will be especially welcome, the report notes: “Drought tolerance is expected to have a major impact on more sustainable cropping systems worldwide, particularly in developing countries where drought is more prevalent and severe than industrial countries.” |
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