A Decade of Benefits, A Future of Promise
Plant biotechnology products are now entering their 10th year of significant commercial use around the world. This important milestone gives us an opportunity to reflect on the proven benefits and safety record of plant biotech products and to share the information with our family and friends. This web site is devoted to providing you with easy access to reliable and current facts related to the decade of benefits plant biotech products have created for people and the environment.

In 1996, farmers harvested the first significant acreage of crops enhanced with biotech traits. In 2005, farmers around the world will choose to plant and harvest increased acres of crops enhanced with biotech traits for the 10th consecutive year. They are planting biotech crops due to the significant economic and environmental benefits the products provide, and they are planting more of these crops each year.

According to ISAAA (International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications) more than 200 million acres (81 million hectares) were planted in 17 countries by 8.25 million farmers in 2004. On a cumulative basis, biotech crops now have been planted on more than 951 million acres (385 million hectares) since 1996 – an area roughly equivalent to 40 percent of the entire USA or China, or 15 times the total land area of the UK.