Global GM crop area keeps on growing

World plantings of genetically-modified crops keeps increasing and have hit one billion hectares, but areas in Europe decline. Plantings rose by 10 percent in 2010 after more than 15 million farmers across 29 countries used the crops.

The figures, released by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, found 10 developed countries - including eight in the EU - planted GM crops last year. But the report shows that over 90 percent of farmers using the technology were "resource-poor" and in developed countries.

The United States saw the most plantings with 66.8m ha, followed by Brazil (25.4m), Argentina (22.9m) and India (9.4m). Herbicide tolerant soya bean was the most commonly-planted crop, occupying 73.3m ha (50 percent) of global GM planting areas. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine from Perendale Publishers.