Brazil has approved commercial use of a genetically modified (GM) sugarcane, setting a milestone for the country’s highly competitive sugar industry as this is the first time such permission has been granted anywhere in the world. Authorization was obtained by CTC Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira SA, which developed the technology and made the application seeking approval in December 2015.
“Brazil has about 10 million hectares of sugarcane fields and potential to plant GM cane in up to 15% of this area. Given the characteristics of the crop, this may take 10 years to achieve,” said Chief Executive Officer Gustavo Leite. CTC has made applications to clear sale of sugar made from GM cane in the United States and Canada. It will seek regulatory approval in China, India, Japan, Russia, Republic of Korea and Indonesia.
According to CTC, the new variety is resistant to the insect Diatraea saccharalis, known locally as ‘broca-da-cana’ (cane borer), one of the main plagues in Brazil’s sugarcane fields, with an estimated 5 billion reais ($1.52 billion) of annual losses to producers. The GM cane contains the gene Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), widely used in other crops.
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Brazil approves commercial GM sugarcane
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