Biotech crops area in South Africa up in 2011

Biotech crops in South Africa have for the second consecutive year increased by 100,000 hectares in 2011, according to an expert.
 
The hectarage had continued to increase for the 14th consecutive season, to a record 2.3 million hectares (2.2 million in 2010), said Prof Klaus Ammann, professor emeritus of the University of Bern, Switzerland.

Speaking at a biotech press conference in Pretoria on Thursday, Prof Ammann said biotech maize occupied 1.873 million hectares or 72% of an estimated total of 2.60 million hectares of maize commercially planted in SA.

Soybean plantings increased by 20% from 390,000ha in 2010 to an estimated 450,000ha due to higher demand. The adoption rate of herbicide tolerant soybeans remained 85%, totalling 382,000ha.

Total cotton area remained unchanged at 15,000ha, 100% biotech, of which 95% were stacked traits.

The total maize area increased by 5% mainly due to a successful export drive that almost depleted carry-over of grain stocks.

According to a survey by the Maize Trust, said Prof Ammann, approximately 12 million hectares of biotech maize (white and yellow), were planted in SA in the 10 year-period 2001 to 2010, producing a grain crop of over 40 million tons.

Despite years of anti-GMO activists' scaremongering campaigns of "threatening health risks and environmental disaster" attributed to GM crops, in one way or another this grain has been consumed annually by 40 million South Africans, 800 million broilers, 1.4 million feedlot cattle, and 3 million pigs slaughtered at formal abattoirs without any substantiated scientific or medically proved incidences of adverse effects to humans, animals or the environment, Ammann said.

"It is estimated that the economic gains from biotech crops for SA for the period 1998 to 2010 were US$809 million and $133 million for 2010 alone."

In 2011 Africa continued to make steady progress in planting, regulatory and research activities in respect of biotech crops.

Apart from SA, Egypt and Burkina Faso have substantially increased their biotech crops.

In 2011 Burkina Faso increased biotech cotton plantings from 260,000ha in 2010 to 300,000ha farmed by nearly 100,000 farmers on less than three hectares each. Egypt increased biotech maize plantings from 2,000ha to 5,000ha. For both countries the cotton and maize seed was researched and produced in SA.

Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda have conducted advanced field trials with several biotech crops, while Malawi has already approved pending cotton trials.

In Tanzania the Minister for Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives, Prof Jumanne Maghembe, announced that Tanzania was ready to adopt biotechnology.