Among the highlights is the growth in the area planted with GM corn, which in five years went from 1.5 million to 12.2 million hectares, according to Celeres' 2012/13 harvest survey
SAO PAULO, Dec. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The area in Brazil planted with genetically modified seeds – soy, corn and cotton - is expected to reach 37.1 million hectares in the 2012/13 crop year, which amounts to an increase of 4.6 million hectares, that is, 14% in relation to the previous harvest. The data are from the 2o Acompanhamento da adocao de biotecnologia agricola no Brasil ['2nd Survey of the adoption of agricultural biotechnology in Brazil'] issued by the consulting firm Celeres.
Soy remained in first place, with a total of 24.4 million hectares (65.7% of the total area), followed by summer and winter corn, with 12.2 million hectares (32.9%), and cotton, with 0.55 million hectares (1.5%).
Winter corn had an adoption rate of 87.8%, or 6.9 million hectares, to be planted with transgenic hybrids for the 2012/13 harvest, a growth of 1.2 million hectares in relation to the 2011/12 crop. For the summer harvest, the expectation is that the rate of adoption will reach 5.3 million hectares, or 64.8%, representing an increase of 305,000 hectares compared to the 2011/12 crop. Adding up the two harvests, 76.1% (12.2 million hectares) of the total area planted with corn used biotechnology. Five years ago, the total adoption was only 1.2 million hectares, which demonstrates the continuing growth of technology in agriculture.
"Brazilian growers are investing more and more in technologies that favor productivity gains. For corn cultivation, a major tool has been presented to help boost Brazil's productivity indicators. In addition, technologies that offer indirect benefits, such as greater ease of management and peace of mind in crop handling, have been essential to enable Brazil's rural growers to adopt genetically modified technology," explains Anderson Galvao, engineer agronomist and managing director of Celeres.
For soy, Celeres is projecting that 88.8% of the current estimated crop for this harvest will make use of biotechnological events. Compared to the previous harvest, projected growth is of 3 million hectares. The cotton crop, on the other hand, is expected to occupy 50.1% of the total area projected for this campaign, totaling 546,700 hectares. Expectations are that the area sown with transgenic cotton will increase by 93,600 hectares, chiefly due to the greater adoption of herbicide tolerant technology.
According to data from the Celeres report, the most heavily used technology is herbicide tolerant, with 25.7 million hectares and a growth of 3.6 million hectares in relation to adoption for 2011/12. Next is insect resistant technology, with 5.8 million hectares and a growth of 450,000 hectares in relation to the previous year. Combined gene technologies come in third, adding up to 5.5 million hectares, with an estimated growth of 527,000 hectares in relation to the previous year. However, the delay in the approval of combined gene soy technology in China may eclipse its potential for growth in Brazil.
In the analysis by region, the salient feature is the dissemination of agricultural biotechnology in Brazil's key grain producing regions. Mato Grosso comes in first, with 9.9 million hectares sown with transgenic crops, followed by Parana, with 6.8 million hectares, and Rio Grande do Sul, with 5.4 million hectares.
The entire report is available here: http://celeres.com.br/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/RelBiotecBrasil_1202_ingl.pdf
About Celeres
Founded in 2002, with headquarters in Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Celeres is one of the most respected consulting firms specializing in agribusiness in Brazil. Working with market intelligence, investment counseling, strategic consulting and rural planning, its consultants serve as frequent sources for companies, institutions and the media, always seeking to interpret how trends in the countryside manifest themselves in the national market. Visit www.celeres.com.br.
Contact:
Rafaela Prieto
Barcelona Solucoes Corporativas
+55 (11) 3019-3092
rafaela@barcelonasolucoes.com.br
