Global agri-biotech market hits $28 B in ’14

MANILA, Philippines - The global agricultural biotechnology market hit the $27.8-billion mark as of end  2014, sustaining a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11 percent.

This was recently disclosed in a report released by international market research organization BCC Research. The report also projected that the said market may hit the $46.8-billion mark by 2019 based on the CAGR.

“North America and South America are the leading geographic markets for agricultural biotechnology products,” the BCC Research report said. “South America and Asia are forecast to have high growth rates in their markets due to favorable regulatory climate and new transgenic crops,” the report added.

“Biotechnology tools, including DNA sequencing, biochips, RNA interference,  synthetic biology and genome editing tools comprise a small but high growth segment of the industry,” the report said.

It also explained that the said tools “enable the development of better plant breeding programs, as well as novel plant traits, thus enhancing downstream agricultural markets.”

“The market growth for biotechnology tools is aided by the ongoing revolution in  genomics, which is rapidly changing how plant breeding is done and is accelerating  the discovery and implementation of new plant traits,” BCC Research pointed out.

In the Philippines, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and  Research (SEARCA) said the farm income of farmers engaged in biotech crop cultivation has reached some P400 million over a nine-year period. It said the  Philippines has already “achieved self-sufficiency in yellow corn over the same period” following the introduction of a biotech corn variety in the country.

The SEARCA also said the Philippines’ advances in biotech crop cultivation are  key to improving the country’s food security and reduce the country’s reliance on  imported corn. The Center also confirmed that higher biotech yellow corn harvests  “have helped the Philippines stop the annual importation of some one million metric  tons of this commodity which is used by the livestock industry.”