Future
of Agricultural Biotechnology Brighter Than Ever, NCGA Says (2-4-05)
The National Corn Growers
Association (NCGA) today refuted a recent report from the Center
for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) that claims agricultural
biotechnology innovation is “stagnating.” In reality,
a number of new biotech products are in the regulatory pipeline,
and new technologies under development will undoubtedly offer even
greater promise for farmers and consumers, NCGA leaders said.
“The future of
biotechnology in agriculture is brighter than ever,” said
Darrin Ihnen, chair of NCGA’s Biotechnology Working Group.
“The industry is constantly developing new products that will
benefit producers and consumers around the world. Innovation in
biotechnology is not tapering off. Developing new traits is a complex,
delicate process that takes time.”
Ihnen said second-generation
biotech traits, such as drought tolerance and nutritional enhancement,
are nearing the commercialization phase and will be available to
the world’s growers in the near future.
He also pointed out that
currently available biotech products are having a significant impact
on environments and agricultural economies around the world. Biotech
crops were planted on 200 million acres worldwide in 2004, according
to a recent report by the International Service for the Acquisition
of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA). This marks a nearly 50-fold
increase from the 4.3 million acres planted in 1996, the first year
biotech crops were commercially available. Worldwide biotech plantings
jumped 20 percent last year alone.
Ihnen noted that 201
new biotech events for crops ranging from corn and cotton to potatoes
and eggplant are under development in 15 developing countries, according
to an article in the January issue of Nature Biotechnology.
Additionally, researchers
at England’s University of Reading say biotech crops are offering
significant economic benefits to resource-poor, smallholder farmers
in nations like South Africa. This corroborates the results of the
ISAAA study, which reports that approximately 8.25 million farmers
in 17 countries planted biotech crops in 2004, an 18 percent increase
from 2003. Of the farmers who began using biotech crops in 2004,
90 percent were in developing countries, the study notes.
“The continued
rapid adoption, especially among small, resource-poor farmers, is
a testament to the economic, environmental, health and social benefits
realized by farmers and society in both industrial and developing
countries,” said Clive James, the study’s author.
While NCGA
disagreed with many points of the CSPI report, it concurs with CSPI’s
recommendation for increased government support and public investment
into biotech research. Increased funding will facilitate expedited
completion of the maize genome, which in turn will lead to development
of new biotech traits for the world’s farmers and consumers.
Members of NCGA’s
Research and Business Development Action Team were in Washington,
D.C., this week to discuss with members of Congress the importance
of increased funding for the National Plant Genome Initiative.
“Our top appropriations
priority is supporting corn genome sequencing and functionality,”
said Iowa grower Pam Johnson. “This is critically important
research to corn growers and the global market. Corn is a feedstock
for the world. It is food, fuel and a building block for a renewable
bio-based economy.”
As a South Dakota corn
and soybean grower, Ihnen has experienced the benefits of biotechnology
firsthand. “Biotech products have allowed me, and thousands
of other growers around the world, to significantly reduce the use
of pesticides,” he said. “Higher-yielding hybrids also
allow us to produce more food on less land.”
According to
a recent report from the National Center for Food and Agriculture
Policy, U.S. farmers who used biotech crops reduced the use of pesticides
by a total of 46.4 million pounds in 2003.