ISAAA Brief 55 – Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops for 2019

ISAAA Brief 55 – Biotech Crops Drive Socio-Economic Development and Sustainable Environment in the New Frontier
Socio-economic benefits of biotech crops have been documented in the last 23 years (1996-2018) showing that biotech crops have contributed to:
∙ increasing productivity that contributes to global food, feed, and fiber security;
∙ supporting self-sufficiency on a nation’s arable land;
∙ conserving biodiversity, precluding deforestation and protecting biodiversity sanctuaries;
∙ mitigating the challenges associated with climate change; and
∙ improving economic, health, and social benefits.

2021-01-12

https://www.isaaa.org/resources/publications/briefs/55/executivesummary/default.asp
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2019 ADOPTION OF BIOTECH CROPS
• Adoption of biotech crops declined slightly in 2019 at 190.4 million hectares worldwide.
• The adoption rates of the top five biotech crop-growing countries reached close to saturation.
• Biotech crops increased ~112-fold from 1996, with an accumulated biotech area of 2.7 billion hectares making biotechnology the fastest adopted crop technology in the world.
• A total of 72 countries adopted biotech crops – 29 countries planted and 43 additional countries imported.
• Biotech soybeans covered 48% of the global biotech crop area..
• Biotech crops provided more diverse offerings to consumers in 2019.
• Stacked IR/HT traits increased by 6%, occupied 45% of the global biotech crop area, and surpassed the area planted to herbicide tolerant traits.
• The top five countries (USA, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, and India) planted 91% of the global biotech crop area of 190.4 million hectares.
• Nine countries in Asia and the Pacific grew 19.5 million hectares of biotech crops
• Africa had a 100% increase in biotech crop planting-countries.
• Two countries in the European Union continued to plant biotech maize at 111,883 hectares.