Biotech Crops to Hold Their Own

December 10, 1999

Farmers are concerned about the negative attention being given biotechnology and its application on the farm, but little slippage is expected in their planting of biotech crops next year, American Farm Bureau Federation reports. It "appears" farmers are not pulling back their production plans, says AFBF's Rosemary Watkins.

Speaking at a forum on biotechnology hosted by the National Policy Association, Watkins, senior director of government relations, said it is too early to know for certain whether biotech crops will hold their own in 2000, but indications are that many farmers are moving ahead with plans to plant biotech crops.

Charles Johnson, executive vice president of Dupont, told the forum that biotechnology will increase in importance as the world's population increases and the amount of land available for farming declines. Biotechnology is the key to ward off the threat of starvation and the resulting political instability that would create, he added.

"There's going to be a lot of noise (about biotech) and there are legitimate concerns that people have," said Johnson. But "the risk of not doing it (producing biotech crops) is greater than the risk of doing it." Discussions of biotechnology will mature, and "the moderate middle will prevail," he said.