Sebelas Tahun Perkembangan Jagung Bt dan Statusnya secara Global

<p>Major insect pests of corn are the Asian<br />corn borer, the European corn borer, and the corn root<br />worm. The value of crop losses due to the insect pests in<br />America is $2.6 billion, Asia $1.6 billion, Africa $0.8 billion,<br />and Europe $0.6 billion. Prior to the use of Bt corn, farmers<br />used a lot of insecticides to control the insect pests.<br />Following introduction of the Bt corn in 1996, this crop has<br />been grown over 21 million hectares by millions of farmers<br />from 13 countries in North America, Latin America, Asia,<br />Africa and Europe. Globally, the farmers had been benefited<br />by grownt the Bt corn. The benefits varies, dependent on<br />countries and level of the corn borer infestations. In 2001,<br />the US farmers gained $125 million benefit from growing the<br />crop. In 2002, farmers in Spain gained 11-15 million benefit<br />from the Bt corn alone. During the period of 2003-2005, corn<br />farmers in the Philippines gained $8 million from the Bt corn.<br />Bt corn has not been grown commercially in Indonesia,<br />although Bt corn MON810 has been declared as save to<br />release in the environment by the Indonesian Biosafety<br />Committee. In 2001-2002, farmers in South Sulawesi with<br />had grown Bt cotton, this was the first time Bt crop in the<br />country since the placement and implementation of the<br />biosafety regulation by the Indonesian Government in 1998.</p>