b'worldSTATUS A look at seed industry developments around the globe.Farmers in AfghanistanSTATUS AFGHANISTANcollected in four provincessays many in the Australian are growing high-yieldingDespite the severe social andduring 2015-16, farmerscommunity are looking for political unrest that constrainmisidentified more than 40%,answers to the questions crops despite politicalagriculture in Afghanistan,saying they were of a differentabout the science of genetic unrest and investmentsmany farmers are grow- variety from that which ourmodification.are being made to helping high-yielding, diseaseDNA analyses later identified.The latest research by the resistant varieties developed-Source: CIMMYT Office of the Gene Technology increase agriculture inthrough international, science- Regulator found knowledge Nigeria.based breeding and madeabout what foods in Australia available to farmers as partSTATUS AUSTRALIA are genetically modified is of partnerships with nationalLeading scientists in Australiagenerally poor. A simple wheat experts and seed pro- say fears about GM prod- google search demonstrates ducers. ucts are unjustified. It was ajust how much conflicting and These and other find- stunning admission by oneinaccurate information there is ings have emerged from theof the leaders in the globalout there on genetic modifica-first-ever large-scale use offight against geneticallytion, says Higgins. DNA fingerprinting to assessmodified food. The dramaticThe booklet provides a Afghanistan farmers adoptionabout-face by leading Britishclear, concise description of of improved wheat varie- author, journalist and environ- genetic modification tech-ties, which are replacing lessmental activist, Mark Lynas,nology and draws on the productive local varietieswho is now a Visiting Fellowknowledge and expertise of and landraces, according toat Cornell University, wasthe Academys distinguished a paper published yesterdaybrought about by under- Fellows and the Australian sci-in the science journal BMCstanding the science. ence community.Genomics. To help more peopleIt highlights the benefits of The study is part of anunderstand the evidence,GM products which include: activity supported betweenthe Australian Academy ofa significant reduction in the 2003 and 2018 by theScience is releasing a Q&Ause of chemical insecticides Australian Departmenton genetic modification (GM)and improved productiv-of Foreign Affairs andthat tackles some of the bigity of existing agricultural Trade, through which thequestions. land, which both contribute Agricultural ResearchThe release of the book- to reduced CO2 emissions; Institute of Afghanistan andlet comes as South Australiaimproved nutritional value the International Maize andplans to lift its ban on growingfrom enriched crops and Wheat Improvement CenterGM crops on the mainland,increased farm incomes. (CIMMYT) introduced, tested,and Tasmania extends its mor- -Source: Australian Academy and released improved wheatatorium for another 10 years.of Sciencevarieties. Meanwhile, the Australian As part of our study,Greens have moved to disal-we established an extensivelow proposed amendmentsSTATUS CAMBODIAreference library of releasedto the Gene TechnologyIn the first six months of varieties, elite breeding lines,Regulations 2019. 2019, Cambodia exported and Afghan wheat landraces,The Academy has writtenmore than 93,000 tons of says Susanne Dreisigacker,to the crossbench, Greens,rice to the European Union wheat molecular breeder atLabor and Government MPs(EU). Thats a lot of rice, but CIMMYT and lead author ofto indicate it does not sup- its almost half the amount the new paper. port the disallowance motion,that was exported during We then compared wheatwhich was expected to comethe same period in 2018. collected on farmers fieldsto a vote in the September sit- As of the first of this year, with the reference library.ting weeks. Academy Fellowthe EU imposed duties on Of the 560 wheat samplesand plant scientist, TJ Higgins,Cambodian rice to protect 78/ SEEDWORLD.COMOCTOBER 2019'