Modern Biotechnology: Food for Discussion!

Abstract

Advances in the field of modern biotechnology seem unstoppable now. This view is also expressed in Ernst & Young’s annual reports on the biotechnology sector. According to their Beyond borders: the global biotechnology report 20075, biotechnology even experienced a historical leap forward in 2006 with global growth of more than 10 percent. The growth in global areal with transgenic (genetically modified) crops – in the EU the most controversial issue – has been steady right from the introduction in 1996 (Figure 2.1a) and in 2009 this areal has again grown by an ample 7%, totalling 134 million hectares (ISAAA⁶). The growth is especially strong in Brazil, South Africa and India. Brazil has even overtaken Argentina and is now, after the USA, the largest producer of transgenic crops. This figure also shows the hesitance with respect to transgenic crops that exists in Europe; the area occupied by these crops there is marginal (less than 0.1% of the global total). In 2007 this area even halved, which was largely due to the almost complete disappearance of these crops in Romania (Figure 2.1b). Nevertheless, at the time of writing this, in the summer of 2010, it seems that even in Europe the tide is also turning in favour of these crops.