GM Crops
Area grown with GM crops
Even though there is no commercial production of transgenic crops in Chile, GM crops are planted in the country for the production of seed for export. The area sown with GM crops for seed production covers approximately 9,500 hectares. Herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant maize cover 49% of that area, while 37.5% with herbicide-tolerant canola and 13.5% is planted with herbicide-tolerant soybean.
Trade
International trade of GM crops
Chile is a key country to provide off-season GM seeds to countries in the northern hemisphere. Counter-season seed production allows faster progress in the development of new varieties that farmers require. In the last season, more than 20,000 tons of GM seeds were exported, the main destination markets being: the United States for corn and soybean seeds, Canada for canola seeds, and South Africa for corn seeds. For more information about the contribution of GM crops from Latin American countries to world trade visit the Trade section.
Are there local developments?
Some examples of local developments
• Fungus-resistant table grape (resistant to Botrytis cinerea), developed by the Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIA), public funding.
• Drought-tolerant maize, developed by the Universidad de Talca, public funding.
• Salt-tolerant citrus, developed by the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC), public funding.
• Nutritionally enhanced apples, developed by the Universidad de Chile, public funding.
• Wheat with increased grain weight, creased grain weight,