New Delhi, India
January 18, 2005
By Prabha Jagannathan
Times of India via
Checkbiotech
Admit it, you were among those who
thought biotech crops meant a robot’s haircut in 2025. Now,
stuff that bargain down your sceptical face and chew on this:
India has hit the big time in biotech (transgenic) crop
coverage, making it with honours to the list of biotech mega
countries (countries growing over 50,000 hectares or more of
biotech crop), neck and neck with top-notchers USA, Argentina,
Canada, Brazil, China, Paraguay and South Africa.
And is now poised to be a big
player in a projected $5 billion global biotech market for 2005,
having quietly between 2002 and 2004 hiked its BtCotton area
coverage by 400% to a whopping 500,000 ha.
Simply put, India, along with China, is expected to galvanise
the global biotech crop market (the commercial biggies here now
are soyabean, canola, maize and cotton) in a significant manner
over the next few years.
“Of the 11 developing countries that have already approved and
adopted biotech crops to meet their own food, feed and fibre
needs and/or optimise exports, five leading countries,
(including) China and India in Asia will exert leadership and
have a significant impact on future adoption and acceptance of
biotech crops globally, because of their significant role in
biotech crops and generally in world affairs” an ISAAA (the
USA-based International Service for the Acquisition of Agri
biotech Applications) study by chairman Clive James holds.
Here’s one indication of what sort of MFN status India gets for
making it to that exclusive club of transgenic crop pucca
sahibs: the accumulated value for the nine year period between
1996(when biotech crops were first commercialised)-2004 was a
whopping $24 billion.
And in 2004, the global market value of biotech crops,
forecasted by Cropnosis, was $4.70 billion, accounting for 15%
of the $32.5 billion global crop protection market in 2003 and
for 16% of the $30 billion global commercial seed market.
Crop biotech investments from both the public and private sector
in India was estimated in 2001 at $25 million per annum.
Post-BtCotton, though, that estimate could well now out to be
(Bt) peanuts!! The global value of total crop production from
biotech crops in 2003, meanwhile, was estimated at $44 billion.
By 2015, biotech grains, oilseeds, fruit and vegetables are
expected to make a global potential gain of $210 billion,
according to another study by Australian economists.
That projection, though, was based on full adoption with 10%
productivity gains in high and middle income countries and 20%
in low income countries. Even a fraction of gain, though, spells
biotech big time.
Oh, and about that baingan...projections are that in the Bharat
of tomorrow, the humble brinjal will be the most important new
biotech food crop that to compete with Bt cotton.
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