February 14 2009: Global plantings of genetically modified corn, soybeans and other crops grew 9.4 percent in 2008, according to the industry-backed International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications.
According to ISAAA:
* Global area of biotech crops hit 125 million hectares in 2008, up from 114.3 million hectares in 2007.
* 13.3 million farmers planted biotech crops in 2008 in 25 countries, up 1.3 million from 2007.
* Global value of the biotech crop market in 2008 was $7.5 billion.
* Largest plantings of biotech crops were in the United States, which planted 62.5 million hectares; Argentina with 21 million hectares, Brazil with 15.8 million, India and Canada, each with 7.6 million hectares, China with 3.8 million.
* Bolivia became the ninth country in Latin America to adopt biotech crops last year, while Burkina Faso in Africa began planting biotech cotton, and Egypt planted biotech maize for the first time.
* Genetically altered soybeans continued to be the most popular biotech crop, planted on 65.8 million hectares, followed by biotech corn planted on 37.3 million hectares and biotech cotton planted on 15.5 million hectares.
* One of the newest biotech crops on the market is a Roundup Ready sugar beet, genetically altered to tolerate herbicide treatment.
* Biotech soybeans occupied 70 percent of global soybean acreage in 2008, while biotech cotton occupied 46 percent of the 34 million hectares of cotton planted worldwide.
* Biotech maize occupied 24 percent of the 157 million hectares of maize planted globally and 20 percent, or 5.9 million hectares, of the global canola area was planted to biotech crops in 2008.reuters
Source by: Pakissan .com, The News, Crop Biotech
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