Plantings of genetically modified (GMO) crops rebounded in 2016 from a decline the prior year, led by increased sowings in Brazil and the United States, according to an annual report released on Wednesday [May 3, 2017].
Biotech crops were planted on a record 185.1 million hectares (457.4 million acres) last year, up 3 percent from the 179.7 hectares (444.0 million acres) planted a year earlier, said the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), the group that released the data.
…
GMO seedings expanded 3 percent in the United States, the largest producer of biotech crops, and 11 percent in Brazil, the No. 2 market, ISAAA said. The two countries represented 66 percent of total GMO crop seedings globally.
Plantings declined by 3 percent in Argentina, largely due to reduced soybean seedings as farmers shifted land to corn and sunflower cultivation, the group said.
Share this article
Low cotton prices and high stocks triggered a 24 percent drop in biotech seedings in China, where some biotech corn and soybean varieties are approved for import but not for cultivation.
[Read the full ISAAA report here.]
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post:ย Global GMO crop area up 3 percent in 2016 after prior-year dip: study
For more background on the Genetic Literacy Project, read GLP on Wikipedia
