EU countries plant newly-approved Amflora potato

EIGHT members of the European Union (EU) are now cultivating Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn or the newly-approved Amflora starch potato, the first such approval in the past 13 years.

Dr. Clive James, president and founder of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agribiotech Applications (ISAAA), revealed this latest development for biotech crops in a forum held recently in Makati.

Amflora potato was developed for industrial use by deactivating the gene that synthesizes amylose, leaving the potato variety with only pure amylopectin that makes paper glossier, strengthens yarns and makes concrete adhere to wall better.

Developers of the crop stressed that the amylopectin from the potato would reduce the consumption of energy, additives and raw materials like water for the manufacture of a number of industrial products.

The EU approved the commercialization of Amflora starch potato on March 2, 2010 on the strength of Sweden's recommendations as rapporteur.

A record eight EU countries grew either Bt maize or the “Amflora” starch potato, newly approved by the EU – the first approval for planting in 13 years in the EU.

"Future prospects look encouraging for the next five years. Drought tolerant corn will be introduced in 2012, Golden Rice in 2013 and Bt rice before theMillennium Development Goals (MDG) target of 2015, all of which could potentially benefit a billion poor people in rice households in Asia alone. Biotech crops can make an enormous contribution to the 2015 MDG goal of cutting poverty in half, by optimizing crop productivity in a proposed global initiative to honor the legacy of ISAAA’s founding patron, and Nobel Peace Laureate, Norman Borlaug, who saved a billion people from hunger," Dr. James explained.

 "For the first time, biotech crops occupied a substantial 10 percent of the 1.5 billion hectares of global cropland and 50 percent of the global cropland is in the 29 countries planting biotech crops in 2010," Dr. James said.

"Stacked traits are an important feature of biotech crops, with 11 countries planting biotech crops with two or more traits in 2010. Eight of them were developing countries. A total of 32.2 million hectares or 22 percent of the 148 million hectares were stacked in 2010," he added.

From 1996 to 2009, Dr. James explained, biotech crops did their part in ensuring sustainability and battling climate change by increasing crop production and value by $65 billion, providing a better environment by not using 393 million kilos of pesticides.

In 2009 alone, biotech crops reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 18 billion kilos, equivalent to taking 8 million cars off the road.

For biodiversity, the impact can be measured by saving 75 million hectares of land.

"These crops also helped alleviate poverty by helping 14.4 million small farmers who are some of the poorest people in the world," Dr. James argued.

He called for the crafting of appropriate cost- and time-effective regulatory systems "that are responsible, rigorous but not onerous, for small and poor developing countries."

The global value of biotech seeds alone was $11.2 billion in 2010, with commercial biotech corn, soybean grain and cotton valued at $150 billion per year, Dr. James reported.