Biotech crops can help developing countries like India to meet the growing food requirement, raise crop productivity, reduce food prices and achieve sustainable food security, said experts. “Biotech crops can help contribute to food security through increased yields and lower production costs which will ultimately help reduce food prices”, said GJN Rao, head (plant improvement) of the Cuttack-based Central Rice Research Institute. He was speaking at an interactive meet on Biotech Basics and Breakthroughs, organised by the New Delhi-based All India Crop Biotechnology Association (AICBA).
Sajiv Anand, director, AICBA said, “Today over 90 per cent of the biotech crop farmers are from the developing countries and they enjoy the benefits of higher crop productivity and income”. As per the 2008 data, 125 million hectares in 25 countries are devoted to cultivation of biotech crops and 13 million farmers are engaged in raising biotech crops. India with a total area of 7.6 million hectares under biotech crops is the fourth largest adopter of biotech crops in the world after USA (62.5 million hectares), Argentina (21 million hectares) and Brazil (15.8 million hectares).
