For the first time since the introduction of biotech crops almost two decades ago, developing countries have grown more hectares of the crops than industrialised countries, contributing to food security and further alleviating poverty.

The area under biotech crops has been on the rise in Africa with more countries joining these ranks. For instance, South Africa increased its biotech area by a record 0.6 million hectares to reach 2.9 million hectares; Sudan joined South Africa, Burkina Faso and Egypt, to bring the total number of African biotech countries to four.
This is according Global Status of Commercialised Biotech/GM Crops: 2012, a report by International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA).

In South Africa the hectarage occupied by biotech crops in 2012 continued to increase for the 15th consecutive season, driven mainly by increased hectarage under maize and soybeans. The estimated total biotech crop area in 2012 was 2.9 million hectares, compared with 2.3 million hectares in 2011/2012, an impressive 26 per cent annual increase in area.

Of the 28 countries, which planted biotech crops in 2012, 20 were developing and eight were industrial countries. This compares with 19 developing and 10 industrial in 2011.

The top 10 countries each grew more than 1 million hectares providing a broad-based worldwide foundation for diversified growth in the future; in fact, the top nine each grew more than 2 million hectares.

More than half the world’s population, 60 per cent or 4 billion people, live in the 28 countries planting biotech crops. The US continued to be the lead producer of biotech crops globally with 69.5 million hectares, with an average adoption rate of 90 per cent across all biotech crops.

Canada grew a record 8.4 million hectares of biotech canola at a record adoption rate of 97.5 per cent. In Kenya, importation of genetically modified foods remains banned. “The protection of the consumer and assurance to the public on the safety of food is extremely important in making decisions about food importation, distribution and consumption.