"The great challenge of the 21st Century will be how to provide people around the world with sufficient quantities of nutritious food, while limiting the environmental impact caused by added agricultural production. Biotechnology will not be the only solution to this challenge, but it can be an important part of the solution." This visionary statement by the Council for Biotechnology Information, founded by influential biotechnological giants DuPont, Aventis, Novartis, BASF, and Monsanto, clearly presents their belief that the decrease of world poverty and the overall improvement of quality o

Grain, 2000, International Transfer of GMO's. The need for a Biosafty Protocol. At< http://www.grain.org.

United Nations Department of Economic & Social Affairs (www.popin.org)

American and European rice companies entered the Indian market with their special seed variety, promising improvements in cultivation methods and plant handling and due to their enormous size and financial power they overran traditional businesses and farmers. In September 1997, the US company Ricetec, Inc. was granted a patent on Basmati rice. The patent is for a variety achieved by the crossing of Indian Basmati with semi-dwarf varieties, and it covers Basmati grown anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. Ricetec can also put its brand on any breeding crosses involving 22 farmer-bred Basmati varieties from Pakistan and, according to RAFI, on any blending of Pakistani or Indian Basmati strains with the company's other proprietary seeds. (RAFI, 2000, www) Ricetec also claims the right to use the Basmati name. The Indian government has challenged Ricetec's claim, arguing that the patent jeopardises India's annual Basmati export market of around US$277 million, and threatens the livelihood of thousands of farmers that cultivate rice the traditional way. (Spinney, 1998: www) The company is also marketing another proprietary rice called Jasmati, which is a crossing from a variety called Della, developed in the US. BIOTHAI (Thai Network on Community Rights & Biodiversity) is concerned that by giving this variety a name that implies a cross between Jasmine rice and Basmati rice, the company is threatening not only the livelihoods of Indian Basmati farmers but also five million poor farmers in the northeast of Thailand. The Indian government fortunately intervened to protect farmers' rights and the Agriculture Ministry made a new legislation which allows farmers to use and exchange traditional varieties. The Indian Supreme Court states the law will recognize the farmer as breeder first, before foreign commercial or research interests. (Spinney, 1998: www) Another example for the introduction of transgenetic products and its failing effects on Indian economic and social networks is cotton. Monsanto planted cotton of the brand 'Bollgard' in India at the beginning of 1998, which should be resistant to insects and therefore easier to cultivate This first experiment should prepare the arranged retail of the insect resistant cotton variety in India. Only 4 months later in May, they bought shares, and invested in the biggest seed-producing company, Mahyco (Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company). The joint venture now controls the Indian cotton market. Cotton is India's most important export article and especially little farmers entered the cotton market since the cotton boom in the 80's. A campaign lead by farmer unions and grass root organizations, appealed, in the way of the Gandhi-tradition of non-violent civil disobedience, to force Monsanto to leave the country. In November 1998, numerous of 'Bollgard'-cotton fields were set on fire by local farmers to express their economical and political defenselessness. The message to leave the country was also sent to the rest of the biotechnological firms like Novartis and Pioneer. The farmers union requested the complete prohibition of importing transgenetic crops and the retirement of all field trials within the following 5 years. Most plantations were illegally established, without any permission by regional governments or communal councils. Monsanto was experimenting with new transgenetic cotton on open fields of farmers, in some Indian states the farmers did not know w

Some common words found in the essay are:
Asia Pacific, West Bengal, Novartis Pioneer, Monsanto India, BASF Monsanto, Indian Basmati, Supreme Court, Cotton India's, , UN FAQ, genetically modified, genetic diversity, gene revolution, genetic information, developing countries, production methods, asia pacific, indian government, indian basmati, countries asia pacific, market cotton, cotton market cotton, nottingham 1998 157,
Approximate Word count = 2426
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)