Brazilian farmers will have genetically engineered rice available within five years, predicts Alda Lerayer, director of the nation's Council of Biotechnology Information (CiB). Her comment follows the recent withdrawal by Bayer CropScience of its application for commercial release of its herbicide-tolerant LibertyLink rice variety. "What happened is a political backlash, after a lack of conversation between farmers and the company," Lerayer explains. Rice farmers had opposed approval of the application, fearing export markets would shun transgenic rice.Celeres, an agribusiness consulting group, estimates that farmers in Brazil this fall will plant 17.2 million hectares with biotech soybean cultivars or 76.6% of the total harvested area. A total of 250,000 hectares will be planted to biotech cotton, the group estimates. The summer corn crop will reach a total cultivated area of 7.6 million hectares or 42% of the total area reserved for biotech corn, and the total area harvested with biotech corn is expected to reach 7.1 million hectares or 55.6% of the total area.
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