Global Biotech Area
Surges Past 100 Million Hectares on 13 Percent Growth
Brussels, January 18th
2007
A report published today by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) shows that in 2006 global biotech crop area
increased 12 million hectares or 13% to reach 102 million hectares for the
first time and achieving the second highest growth in the past 5 years.
Growth for the period 1996 to 2006 is equivalent to an unprecedented
60-fold increase, the highest adoption rate of any crop technology.
Additionally, the number of farmers planting biotech crops reached, for the
first time, 10.3 million, from 8.5 million farmers in 2005.
Clive James, chairman and founder of ISAAA and author of the report, expects
these adoption levels to continue accelerating throughout the second decade of
commercialization. By 2015, ISAAA predicts more than 20 million farmers will
plant 200 million hectares of biotech crops in about 40 countries.
