Washington, DC
June 29, 2007
Sharon Bomer Lauritsen, executive
vice president of the Biotechnology
Industry Organization's (BIO) Food and Agriculture Section,
released the following statement today regarding the
release of U.S. biotech crop acreage numbers by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture s (USDA)
National Agricultural
Statistics Service (NASS):
For another consecutive year, U.S. farmers have demonstrated
their support of products of agricultural biotechnology by
increasing the number of biotech crop acres planted in this
country. Today, the USDA s National Agricultural Statistics
Service (NASS) reported that U.S. farmers planted a record
number of acres of biotech crops in 2007. This year, U.S.
farmers planted 67.8 million acres of biotech corn, a
significant 42 percent increase over 2006. Biotech corn
varieties accounted for 73 percent of the entire U.S. corn
acreage in 2007.
Acceptance of biotech soybean and cotton also continues to grow.
In 2007, 91 percent of the soybeans planted in the United States
were biotech varieties. In 2006, 89 percent of soybeans grown in
this country were biotech varieties. U.S. farmer support of
biotech cotton also continues to grow. Eighty-seven percent of
cotton grown in the United States this year were biotech
varieties, in comparison to 83 percent of the cotton acreage in
2006 being biotech varieties.
Since their commercialization over a decade ago, biotech crops
have provided numerous benefits to U.S. farmers, such as
increased yield, improved quality, and a reduction in pesticide
applications. Consumers, both in the United States and
internationally, benefit from biotech crops as well ― this
technology enables the continued availability of a safe and
affordable food supply.
U.S. farmers continue to choose to plant biotech crops because
of the tremendous value agricultural biotechnology delivers to
an abundant, healthful, and affordable food supply. This
technology is helping keep American agriculture at the forefront
of meeting the world s growing demand for food.
BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies,
academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related
organizations across the United States and 31 other nations. BIO
members are involved in the research and development of
health-care, agricultural, industrial and environmental
biotechnology products. BIO also produces the annual BIO
International Convention, the world s largest gathering of the
biotechnology industry. |
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