Growth in SA GM food crops
2009-02-19 08:29
Pretoria - Genetically modified (GM) maize crops grew by 10 000 hectares while South Africa remained the eighth biggest producer of GM foods in the world, AgriSA announced on Wednesday.
"South Africa maintained the number eight position in the world ranking of biotech crop countries, planting more than 1,8 million hectares of biotech crops," said AgriSA CEO Kobus Laubscher.
South Africa also ranked eighth in 2007.
Addressing media in Pretoria, Laubscher said the 2008 GM maize plantings increased by 10 000 hectares, despite an almost eight percent decrease in the commercial maize area planted.
Globally, 125 million hectares of biotech crops were planted, according to the findings of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications for 2008. This was an increase of 9.4% from 2007.
In South Africa, GM crops - namely maize, soybeans and cotton - increased.
Biotech plantings
Both yellow and white maize topped the list at 1 617 million hectares or 62% of the total maize area compared to 57% in 2007.
Of the 1 617 million hectares of maize, 56% or 891 000 hectares constituted biotech plantings.
Laubscher said farmers had to produce more crops for a growing population on smaller land (because of climate change among other things), but there seemed to be a resistance to GM foods. This perception, he said, needed to be changed.
"Its difficult to say [where the perception comes from], there [are] no medical or scientific findings to support this," he said.
Laubscher added that biotech crops, grown in 25 countries including the US and South Africa, had led to a decrease in pesticide use.
"This is a positive spin off," he said.
- SAPA