Agriculture. p p p p Serious Consequences for Boycotting GM Technology. SBBPL and NBRI in GM Technology Licensing Agreement

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1 Serious Consequences for Boycotting GM Technology SBBPL and NBRI in GM Technology Licensing Agreement Gates Foundation Offers Funding for HarvestPlus Initiative p.1553 p.1554 Time to Address IP Protection for GM Technology? p.1552 p.1555

2 Australia SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES FOR BOYCOTTING GM TECHNOLOGY The New Zealand and Australian economies would have to bear serious consequences if the two nations do not follow the rest of the world in adopting genetically modified (GM) crops with estimates of close to US$2 billion to be lost each by Australasia. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Economic Resources (Abare) reports that assessing solely on the economical impact of GM crop production the crops production improvements brought by GM technology are likely to enhance exports volume substantially for developing countries, hence, lowering food price. Abare is an independent research organization funded by the Australian Federal Government s Department of. The worldwide adoption of GM crops is estimated to result in US$250 billion gain per annum by However, the report did not make any judgments about adopting the GM technology since Abare s objective was to assess the economic implications by GM technology. Without considering the extent of damage imposed by GM crops upon the image of non-crop exports such as dairy and lamb. Previously in April 2003, the research conducted by the New Zealand Government concluded that GM crops could jeopardize the regional clean and environmentally friendly exports image, despite an average 5% income raise for farmers. Federated Farmers GM policy expert, Hugh Ritchie commented that while no GM crop could definitely offer major benefits to the farm industry so far, New Zealand risked losing its market share in the long term if other countries jumped on the GM bandwagon and become more competitive. Other pro-gm experts have warned that the economy could suffer if New Zealand and Australia do not stay on a par with modern biotechnological developments. Meanwhile, a Victorian laboratory became the first Australian-based lab also the first in Australasia to receive international accreditation to test for GM food, plant products and animal feeds. The downside to the latest development of GM legislation is the burgeoning resistance to modern biotechnology in some European countries. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety has been recently ratified by 57 countries which include a number of developing countries, the European Union and South Africa to protect biological diversity from GM organisms such as seeds, fish, trees, and animals. The international protocol could become a critical barrier to GM trade. But even if the aggressive lobbying of anti-gm groups in Europe would succeed in bringing about the ban on GM production by the European Union, the Australasian would still stand to lose an estimated amount of close to US$1.5 billion per annum APBN Vol. 7 No

3 India SBBPL and NBRI in GM Technology Licensing Agreement Aiming to capitalize on modern biotechnology, Swarna Bharat Biotechnics Private Ltd. (SBBPL) a consortium formed by seven manufacturing companies has inked a partnership with the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) to gain access to Bt cotton technology. Dr. P. Sateesh Kumar, representative of SBBPL revealed that the deal could give farmers a price cut of more than 50% on purchasing Bt cotton seeds, relative to the production of Bt cotton by multinational companies. NBRI s cotton should be ready for commercialization by the next three years. Stressing on the potential advantages of utilizing GM technology, Rakesh Tuli from NBRI pointed out that the agricultural industry in India can benefit from adopting transgenic insecticidal cultivars because no other biological approach is as safe and effective as the Bt gene technology to control pests. About SBBPL SBBL consists of the following companies Nuziveedu Seeds, Ganga Kaveri Seeds, Pravardhan Seeds, Prabhat Agri Biotech, Kaveri Seeds, Nandi Seeds, and Vikki s Agro Tech. These members have a combined turnover of Rs 300 crore (US$66 million), with 75% generated from the propriety cotton hybrids. The consortium captures 30% of the local cottonseed market and 50% of the hybrid cottonseed market in India. About NBRI NBRI is the premier national plant research center for India under the umbrella of CSIR known originally as Sikander Bagh, the legendary royal garden of the erstwhile Oudh kings who ruled the region during the 19th Century before it was taken over by the British in CSIR took over National Botanic Garden in 1953 and expanded the scope of the institute into multidisciplinary plant research center and renamed it as the National Botanical Research Institute in NBRI is now an internationally well-known research center in India and it focuses on both basic and applied aspects of plant sciences. While working on Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biomass Biology, Biotechnology, Conservation, Ethnopharmacology, Floriculture, Plant Physiology, Genetics & Plant Breeding, Molecular Biology & Genetic Engineering, Natural Product development etc, it caters to the need of almost every aspect of plant research in South Asian region in general and India in particular. Both basic and applied research programs in all the above said plant sciences are dealt by NBRI scientists. The institute offers consultancy and technology on various aspects of plant sciences including information technology. Contact Details: NBRI Contact Name: Dr. P. Pushpangadan, Director p.pushpangadan@nbri.res.in URL: APBN Vol. 7 No

4 GATES FOUNDATION OFFERS FUNDING FOR HARVESTPLUS INITIATIVE Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates has donated US$25 million boost to HarvestPlus, an alliance of research institutions and agencies working toward addressing the problems of malnutrition. The grant will be used to help the fight against global malnutrition by improving the nutritional quality of staple foods in the developing world. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation explained that the objective of this initiative is to provide people in the poor and developing countries with food already fortified with vitamins and mineral nutrients. HarvestPlus has put together a strategic approach in the form of a four-year project focusing on biofortification, which crossbreeds crops of high nutritional value (especially micronutrients) with those that are high yielding and resistant to diseases. HarvestPlus is being spearheaded by the International Center for Tropical Agricultural Research (CIAT) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). To date, malnutrition contributes >50% of child deaths in developing world and the United Nations (UN) estimates that nearly 33% of the world s population suffers from deficiencies in micronutrients such as iron, zinc, and vitamin A. Director of HarvestPlus, Howarth Bouis, said, Those most affected by malnutrition, the rural poor, are also the most difficult to reach with traditional nutrition programs. Biofortified crops have the potential to transform the health of these communities by allowing them to grow crops that are naturally fortified with essential micronutrients. With biofortification becoming a significant new avenue for agricultural research, the HarvestPlus initiative has included the development of the most widely consumed crops in the developing world, such as rice, wheat, maize, beans, cassava, and sweet potato. With the announcement of the funding, the organization will be able to substantially accelerate the development of crop varieties. The organization will conduct research into the controversial breakthrough technology of genetically modified (GM) crops as well. About HarvestPlus is an international, interdisciplinary, research program that seeks to reduce micronutrient malnutrition by harnessing the powers of agriculture and nutrition research to breed nutrient-dense staple foods. HarvestPlus seeks to reduce the effects of micronutrient malnutrition by harnessing the power of plant breeding to develop staple food crops that are rich in micronutrients, a process called Biofortification. This will be accomplished by a global alliance of research institutions and implementing agencies in developed and developing countries, coordinated by the International Center for Tropical (CIAT) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). HarvestPlus will be implemented on a full-time basis in January Contact Details: HarvestPlus Contact Name: Marianna Carbe, Senior Administrative Coordinator Address: HarvestPlus c/o IFPRI, 2033 K Street, NW, Washington, DC , USA M.Carbe@CGIAR.org URL: APBN Vol. 7 No

5 Despite being frequently overlooked in debates, the intellectual property (IP) protection of inventions related to plant and agricultural research is becoming an important issue that will emerge from the commercial growing of genetically modified (GM) crops. An article by Barbara Fleck and Claire Baldock (in Nature Reviews Genetics) highlighted the need to address the differences in how European nations and the US approach the legislation of IP in the fields of GM research and GM invention. Describing GM research as one of the most controversial technologies and how governments are still coming to grips with its related legislation problems, Fleck and Baldock pointed out that the public and many scientists are still unaware of the crucial aspect of the GM debate involving the IP protection of plant-related inventions. It is an important issue because access to patents for plant-related inventions could affect the funding and investments available for research in the private biotechnology sector. Time to Address IP Protection for GM Technology? In Europe, patents can be granted through the Community Plant Variety Right (CPVR) for inventions that cover more than a single variety. But a few member states have yet to implement this European directive. Under the US law, there are three different systems in place for the protection of plant-related inventions and patents that concern single or multiple plant varieties. Infringement issues of GM patents have been elaborated and it is far from straightforward and differs from common practices. As plants are viewed as self-propagating organisms that spread through pollen, the evaluation of infringement is much more complicated for transgenic breeds. With the commercial growing of GM crops becoming more prevalent worldwide and more countries are gearing up for modern biotechnology, the issue of contamination through pollen drifts will influence the number of lawsuits concerning patent infringements. APBN Vol. 7 No