78% of soybean, 76% of cotton grown globally in 2018 were GMO, as farmers continued adopting biotech crops

International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) | October 31, 2019

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The four major biotech crops — soybeans, maize, cotton, and canola — were the most adopted biotech crops by 26 countries in 2018, according to the ISAAA report, Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops in 2018. Soybeans lead at 95.9 million hectares, followed by maize (58.9 million hectares), cotton (24.9 million), and canola (10.1 million hectares). Based on the FAO global area for these crops, 78% of soybeans, 76% of cotton, 30% of maize, and 29% of canola were biotech crops in 2018.

Other biotech crops planted in 2018 include sugar beets, alfalfa, papaya, squash, potatoes, apples, sugarcane, and eggplant.

To learn more about biotech crops planted in 2018, download and read the Biotech Crop Annual Updates for soybeans, maize, cotton, canola, and alfalfa.