Wednesday, July 09, 2014

Since the end of 2013, US exports of corn to China have dropped 85 percent after Beijing blocked shipments containing a specific strain of modified gene. So far the Chinese government has approved only 15 genetically modified corn strains for import.

However, a recent episode reveals perhaps the ban is nothing but a form of protectionism.

Mo Yun, wife of Beijing Dabeinong Technology Group's chairman, was arrested in the United States for stealing corn seeds from fields owned by Monsanto and DuPont. She was charged with stealing trade secrets.

The stolen seeds, currently available only in the United States, are genetically pure and uniform. These pure breeds are used by the seed companies to create high- yield hybrid seeds to be sold to farmers.

The hybrids sold in the market, despite favorable traits - such as resistance to drought and diseases, and super high yield - often come with a technology called terminator genes making the second-generation seeds sterile.

Sterile super seeds are good, but farmers must rely on a handful of companies for their supply. Governments and NGOs representing the developing nations often fear that the one-sided relationship threatens their food security.

The Chinese government welcomes super seeds, but prefers them to be homegrown. Weak intellectual property rights protection, however, has discouraged private investment in R&D in the area. Funding to public institutions has also crowded out private initiatives.

The vested interests in the public sector have perversely created a regime to limit research partnership, hence stifling innovation.

In fact a subsidiary of DuPont partnered with a Chinese company to develop seeds for the mainland market. However the government limited its marketing out of fear that it threatens the nation's food independence. At the end of the day it is not only science, but also politics and economics that determine what and how well we eat. Simon Lee is a business consultant

See more here:
GM food scare stories tough to swallow