The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) launched the annual report on the Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2017 (ISAAA Brief 53) through a media conference held on June 26, 2018 at Acacia Hotel, Manila, Philippines. The report is the 22^nd of the ISAAA series of global status reports documenting the latest information on the adoption and benefits of biotech crops. The event, which was co-organized by the SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center (SEARCA BIC), presented an opportunity for media partners to connect with scientists and experts, representatives from the national government, and partners in the biotech community.

ISAAA Board Chair, Dr. Paul Teng, presented the report, including the global impact, economic benefits, and future prospects of biotech crops. He reported that biotech crop land area reached a new record-high adoption at 189.8 million hectares worldwide in 2017. Also notable was the increase in biotech crop area in developing countries, continuously surpassing those in industrial countries in terms of total land area, with 100.6 M ha and 89.2 M ha, respectively.

Dr. Teng added that the global GM crop area is expected to expand in the coming years and that new biotech crops and traits in different parts of the globe are now in the pipeline. Highlighting the importance of regulations, Dr. Teng stated, "Science-based regulations are very important. If we cannot use science, we have no ground to stand on. It cannot be based on perceptions alone as these are often proven wrong. Science is what we have in the moment as a tool to show that something is credible." He also shared that the global farm income gains contributed by biotech crops in the last 21 years (1996-2016) have amounted to US$186.1 billion, benefitting more than 17 million farmers, 95% of whom come from developing countries.

Download the ISAAA Brief 53 Full Report, Executive Summary, Press Release, Infographics, and Presentation Slides from the ISAAA website.

Figure: Prof. Paul Teng, ISAAA Board Chair