The Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2014 (ISAAA Brief 49) was launched on January 28, 2015 at China World Hotel in Beijing, China during a press conference attended by 34 media practitioners. The following day, January 29, a seminar was also held at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, organized by Chinese Society of Biotechnology, Chinese Society of Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology, The Crop Science Society of China, China Society of Plant Protection, Chinese Society of Agri-biotechnology, and ISAAA. This was attended by 200 stakeholders from the government, academe, research institutes, media agencies, and private companies.

The report was authored by Dr. Clive James, Founder and Emeritus Chair of ISAAA. According Dr. James, 18 million farmers in 28 countries planted 181.5 million hectares of biotech crops in 2014. The latest addition in the countries planting biotech crops is Bangladesh, which adopted insect resistant eggplant (Bt brinjal) in 2014. The top 5 countries planting biotech crops in 2014 were US, Brazil, Argentina, India, and Canada.

During the seminar, Dr. Chen Zhangliang, Vice President of China Association for Science and Technology(CAST) introduced agricultural economic restructuring and GM technology development in China and encouraged the vigorous expansion of GM science education. Dr. Paul Teng, ISAAA Chair and Dean of Graduate Studies and Professional Learning at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, presented ways on how to address food security challenges in an inter-connected global food system. Dr. Randy Hautea, ISAAA Global Coordinator and SEAsia Director, discussed the adoption and impact of biotech corn in the Philippines.

Brief 49 was also launched in Brazil, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand.

Get a copy of the full report at http://goo.gl/Xl59hB. Download the Executive Summary, Top 10 Facts, Press Release, Infographics, PPT Slides, and Videos at www.isaaa.org.