In a symposium featuring the ISAAA Brief 46: Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops 2013 in Egypt, Prof. Raamzy Stino, Minister of State for Scientific Research discussed the ministry’s efforts to support scientific researches and new innovations in the field of agriculture to face the challenges of drought and food shortage. The new innovations include the use of modern agricultural technology such as biotechnology, contained in the ISAAA Briefs, discussed and highlighted by Prof. Naglaa Abdallah, director of Egypt Biotech Information Center.
In the 18 year period 1996 to 2013, millions of farmers in ~30 countries worldwide, adopted biotech crops at unprecedented rates. The most compelling and credible testimony to biotech crops is that during the 18 year period 1996 to 2013, millions of farmers in ~30 countries worldwide, elected to make more than 100 million independent decisions to plant and replant an accumulated hectarage of more than 1.6 billion hectares. This is an area equivalent to >150% the size of the total land mass of the US or China which is an enormous area. There is one principal and overwhelming reason that underpins the trust and confidence of risk-averse farmers in biotechnology – biotech crops deliver substantial, and sustainable, socio-economic and environmental benefits. The comprehensive EU 2011 study conducted in Europe, confirmed that biotech crops are safe.
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