Last year 13.3 million farmers in 25 countries planted transgenic crops, over 90% of them in developing nations. It was also the year the second billionth acre of transgenic crop was planted—only 3 years after the first billionth acre was achieved. In Canada and the US, Monsanto (St. Louis) successfully introduced a new biotech crop, glyphosate-resistant sugar beet. Latin America, India and China continued to rapidly adopt GM varieties; 7 of 27 European Union countries cultivated the only transgenic crop approved there (Bt maize); France illegally froze its commercial plantings. Stacked traits continue to rise in popularity.

Historical global area of transgenic crops

Global area by transgenic trait

2008 transgenic crop approvals in US and EU

EU transgenic crop field trials

Global area of biotech crops by country

Transgenic crops as a share of total US crops