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 Main subject - nov/dec 2007
continuation: The Transgenic Seed Business in Brazil
Furthermore, with the transgenic seeds here and Brazil participating in the global market, the seed business will never be the same to what it was during the past decades. All of those who are part of this business, public and private research companies, seed industries, stockholders, cooperatives, governments and society in general, should be well aware of this fact.
To remain isolated to the presence of such an innovative technology is not an option and we could as well dream of specific markets for each segment: transgenic and conventional or non transgenic. We should all be prepared to live with this reality.
In spite of the difficulties imposed by all the movements necessary to implement these key changes, there are a lot of business opportunities waiting to be taken, if one is prepared for the enterprise.
One of the strengths that Brazil has in relation to this issue, is the production infrastructure, spread through the main agricultural regions and contemplating a large number of companies.
However, a better market organization and sector discipline is missing, making it necessary to achieve a better balance between seed supply and demand within each segment. Such an achievement demands leadership, organization and fidelity.
A growth in the demand for specialized services, certification and product analysis related to the seed market should be expected, if this expansion becomes a reality. Likewise, there will be new market niches of high aggregated value which will demand high competence and segregation capacity, since they will have to operate within systems that are interconnected between the production of raw materials and the industry. Such scenario is already happening with organic produce and conventional (non transgenic) products, but in the near future GM events are likely to appear and they will have to resort to the same system.
Despite all the political and ideological attacks on the National Technical Committee on Biosafety (CTNBio), standing to its technical role, the committee has managed to approve various events that were awaiting resolution. However, the attacks by it's critics continue relentlessly and only the time will have the final word on who was right, since it appears that human rationale hasn't been enough to encourage dialogue to channel these questions appropriately.
Up to date, Brazil has approved five events, one for soybean, one for cotton, and three for corn, the latter throughout the current year. There still are some judicial cases regarding the use of transgenic seeds, however, they do not modify, whatsoever, the trend that transgenic seeds have imposed to the market. Suffice to mention or recall what happened with RR soybean, approved by CTNBio nine years ago, after a long judicial battle which seemed endlessly; time and facts did their job and the adoption of this technology is ever growing, much the same what happens with the use of certified seed.
Transgenic events approved
Several other events are in the CTNBio schedule waiting for approval, in yet another sign that this is a journey with no return.
In general, the market is dominated by large transnational companies but in Brazil it is expected that Embrapa and Basf, who have established a partnership, will be releasing a new event in soybean. This shows that the Brazilian's scientific community is highly qualified to be part of the biotechnology surge, and that maybe what's missing is the belief that a more aggressive investment in biotechnology is the appropriate policy.
In the meantime, this new scenario created by the biotechnology furor does not apply only to transgenic products, since last generation techniques are so fast-paced that they create products other than genetically modified (GM) that have equal impact in the production systems in which they're applied. A typical case is that of the "Clear field" rice, so advanced a technology as any GM product, holding a patent that protects its creation.
Speaking about patents, this is yet another reality of this new scenario. The Intellectual Property, which not so long ago was not a strange concept for the seed market, has been disrespected by a large portion of farmers, stockers and seed companies. Applying the principle that any illegal procedure should be fought, this attitude will surely change with time.
The disregard for the intellectual property right affects the seed market significantly, and much the same as in the previous sentence, time will surely be an appropriate counselor.
Responsible companies, which may have succumbed initially to subterfuges as well as the farmers themselves, all will acknowledge the need for harmony between the different segments and that respect to the concept of intellectual property regarding plants, is the safest way to ensure the preservation of investments for research and the subsequent gains in efficiency and profit.
Much in the same way, the breeders holding patents and protections will have to compromise with the rates charged for their technologies, not only to keep them stable, but also to control their illegal use.
The action by enforcement agencies will be crucial to control fraud and to establish and maintain a balance; however, piracy will be an ever-present risk and will have to be fought systematically.
Transgenic events awaiting approval at CTNBio
An agriculture for the size of Brazil, technological developments need to be part of a continuous process which cannot be achieved without the acknowledgement of intellectual property, the lever to promote the necessary investments to close the circle. This will be from now onwards the rationale for the seed market and it is imperative that all those who participate remain aware of this, so that the sector goes back to being respectable, promising and profitable for all.
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