Annotated Bibliography Entry

Reference: ISAAA 2002b
Title: Global Status of Commercialized Transgenic Crops: 2002: Preview. 
Author: James, C. 
Publisher: The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, ISAAA SEAsiaCenter, c/o IRRI, DAPO Box 7777, Metro Manila, The Philippines. 
Publication details: ISAAA Briefs No. 27, 2002

Summary
Figure: Global Area Of Transgenic Crops, 1996 to 2002: Industrial & Developing Countries 
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Summary

A review of the global status of commercialized transgenic crops has been published annually by ISAAA since 1997.  This report summarizes the status and trends of commercial transgenic crops in 2002. 

The estimated global area of transgenic or GM crops for 2002, is 58.7 million hectares (has.) or 145 million acres, grown by between 5.5 and 6.0 million farmers in sixteen countries - up from 5 million farmers and thirteen countries in 2001.  The increase in area between 2001 and 2002 is 12%, equivalent to 6.1 million has. or 15 million acres.

During the seven-year period 1996 to 2002, global area of transgenic crops increased 35-fold, from 1.7 million has. in 1996 to 58.7 million has. in 2002. This ranks as one of the highest adoption rates for crop technologies. A sustained rate of annual growth of more than 10% per year has been achieved every year for the last six years, since their first commercial cultivation  in 1996.

An increasing proportion of GM crops are grown in developing countries. More than one quarter (27%) of the global GM crop area of 58.7 million has. in 2002, equivalent to 16 million has., was grown in nine developing countries. India, the largest cotton growing country in the world, commercialized Bt cotton for the first time in 2002. Colombia (Bt cotton) and Honduras (Bt corn) grew pre-commercial hectarage of GM crops for the first time.

China had the highest year-on-year percentage growth with a 40% increase in its Bt cotton area which occupied more than half (51%) of the national cotton area of 4.1 million has. for the first time, and benefited 5 million small resource-poor farmers.

In 2002, four principal countries grew 99% of the global transgenic crop area. The USA grew 39.0 million has. (66% of global total), followed by Argentina with 13.5 million has. (23%), Canada 3.5 million has. (6%), and China 2.1 million has. (4%);

Globally, the principal GM crops were GM soybean occupying 36.5 million has. in 2002 (62% of global area), followed by GM corn at 12.4 million has. (21%), transgenic cotton at 6.8 million has. (12%), and GM canola at 3 million has. (5%).

During the six-year period 1996 to 2002, herbicide tolerance has consistently been the dominant trait with Bt insect resistance second. In 2002, herbicide tolerance, deployed in soybean, corn and cotton, occupied 75% or 44.2 million hectares of the global GM 58.7 million has., with 10.1 million has. (17%) planted to Bt crops, and stacked genes for herbicide tolerance and insect resistance deployed in both cotton and corn occupying 8% or 4.4 million has. of the global transgenic area in 2002.

The two dominant GM crop/trait combinations in 2002 were: herbicide tolerant soybean occupying 36.5 million has. or 62% of the global total and grown in seven countries; and Bt maize, occupying 7.6 million has., equivalent to 13% of global transgenic area and also planted in seven countries - notably South Africa grew 58,000 has. of Bt white maize for food in 2002 - up 10 fold from 2001; the other six GM crops occupied 5% or less of global transgenic crop area.

On a global basis for the first time more than half, (51%) of the 72 million has. of soybean grown worldwide were GM in 2002 - up significantly from 46% in 2001; 20% of the global 34 million has. of cotton were GM -the same as last year; of the 25 million has. of canola GM canola increased from 11% to 12%; and of the 140 million has. of maize globally GM increased significantly from 7% in 2001 to 9% in 2002. If the global areas (conventional and transgenic) of these four principal GM crops are aggregated, the total area is 271 million has., of which between 21and 22 % is GM, up substantially from 19% in 2001.

The number of farmers that benefited from GM crops in 2002 was between 5.5 and 6 million - up from 5 million in 2001. More than three-quarters of the farmers that benefited from GM crops in 2002 were resource-poor cotton farmers planting Bt cotton, mainly in China and also in South Africa.

In 2002 more than half of the world's population lived in countries where GM crops are approved and grown. There is cautious optimism that global area and the number of farmers planting GM crops will continue to increase in 2003.

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Figure: Global Area Of Transgenic Crops, 1996 to 2002: Industrial and Developing Countries (Million Hectares)

Source: ISAAA website: http://www.isaaa.org/kc

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ISAAA 2002b. Global Status of Commercialized Transgenic Crops: 2002: Preview. 

 

Contents

Executive Summary

List of Tables and Figures

Introduction

Global Area of Transgenic Crops in 2002

Distribution of Transgenic Crops in Industrial and Developing Countries

Distribution of Transgenic Crops, by Country

Distribution of Transgenic Crops, by Crop

Distribution of Transgenic Crops, by Trait

Dominant Transgenic Crops in 2002

Global Adoption of Transgenic Soybean, Corn, Cotton and Canola

The Future

Acknowledgements

List of Tables

Table 1 Global Area of Transgenic Crops, 1996 to 2002

Table 2 Global Area of Transgenic Crops in 2001 and 2002: Industrial and Developing Countries

Table 3 Global Area of Transgenic Crops in 2001 and 2002: by Country

Table 4 Global Area of Transgenic Crops in 2001 and 2002: by Crop

Table 5 Global Area of Transgenic Crops in 2001 and 2002: by Trait

Table 6 Dominant Transgenic Crops, 2002

Table 7 Transgenic Crop Area as Percent of Global Area of Principal Crops, 2002

List of Figures

Figure 1 Global Area of Transgenic Crops, 1996 to 2002

Figure 2 Global Area of Transgenic Crops, 1996 to 2002: Industrial and Developing Countries

Figure 3 Global Area of Transgenic Crops, 1996 to 2002: By Country

Figure 4 Global Area of Transgenic Crops, 1996 to 2002: By Crop

Figure 5 Global Area of Transgenic Crops, 1996 to 2002: By Trait

Figure 6 Global Adoption Rates (%) for Principal Transgenic Crops, 2002

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