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Agriculture

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Monsanto to Shift GM business from Thailand to Other Asian Countries

gribusiness giant Monsanto, a leading developer of genetically modified (GM) crops, has threatened to scrap its plans to invest in GM corn production in Thailand unless the government lifts its ban on open field trials and the commercialization of transgenic crops.

Poomin Trakoontiwakorn, director of Monsanto's Southeast Asia technology development division, said the US-based company had begun shifting its operation from Thailand to India and the Philippines, where the commercial planting of GM corn and cotton has been approved. Over the past four years, we have tried to convince the public and the government to embrace GMOs, but to no avail. So we cant think about expanding our business here, Mr Poomin said. Due to the unsupportive policy on genetic engineering, its not surprising our headquarters have begun turning their eyes to other Asian nations, where GMOs are being welcomed, he said. Monsanto announced in November 2003 a plan to make Thailand a regional base by 2006 for its GM seed production, starting with Round-up Ready and Bt corn seeds. Monsantos Round-up Ready corn is resistant to Round-up herbicide produced by the company, while Bt corn is resistant to bollworm, one of the most destructive pests to attack corn and cotton crops. However, the plan has been hit by the governments ban on open field trials, which was imposed in 1999 after finding that the GM cotton crops belonging to Monsanto had spread to nearby farms growing non-GM crops. The anti-GMO coalition says GM crops pose a serious threat to native plants, increase investment costs and pose a health threat to the human population. In terms of basic infrastructure and the skills of its farmers, Mr Poomin said Thailand offered more potential than India and the Philippines as a GM seed hub. The country could earn large revenues from exporting transgenic seeds to a number of Southeast Asian countries, South American countries, as well as some European nations, such as Portugal and Spain. It is disappointing that the government has failed to see the benefit and potential of GM crops in the world market, he said, adding that he expected the expansion of GM plantations worldwide to prompt the Thai government to fully embrace the technology in the near future. Mr Poomin said besides herbicide and pest resistant corn, Monsanto is preparing to launch a series of transgenic crops in the Thai seed market, including a drought-resistant crop, a high Omega-3 oil seed crop and high-nutrient maize crop. He conceded the possibility of cross-breeding between transgenic and native plant species, but he insisted contamination was controllable. Greenpeace genetic engineering campaigner, Varoonvarn Svangsopakul, however, urged the government to stand firm on its GM-free policy, which would protect Thai farmers and consumers from multinational firms expensive GM crops.

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Agriculture

Thailand

Opening of Agribiosciences Facility in Australia

remier Steve Bracks opened the Victorian AgriBiosciences Centre (VABC) at La Trobe University in Melbourne recently. The establishment of the VABC is a key to increasing the effectiveness of research in biosciences, particularly plant biosciences, in Victoria. By giving researchers access to key platform technologies such as microarray and genomic identification technologies and by co-locating researchers from several institutions, research collaborations will be more effective. La Trobe University provided A$12 million (US$8.8 million) towards the new building. Other contributors were the Victorian Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development and the Victorian Department of Primary Industries each contributing A$5 million (US$3.7 million) and A$2.8 million (US$2 million) respectively. The two-storey building is on two hectares of the La Trobe University 50-hectare research and the development park comprises 5700 square meters of floor space for state-of-the-art research laboratories, offices and meeting spaces. The VABC also houses a Research Hotel to provide an additional science and business incubator for the agricultural biotechnology sector on the La Trobe R&D Park. Some of the organizations located at the VABC include the CRC for Molecular Plant Breeding, Florigene and GE Healthcare Biosciences. The VABC consortium comprises the Department of Primary Industries, La Trobe University, the Molecular Plant Breeding CRC, Florigene Ltd (a division of Suntory), Monash and RMIT Universities. The consortium is chaired by Professor Roger Parish, head of La Trobe Universitys School of Life Sciences. Professor Parish said the primary objectives of the VABC are to act as a science and business incubator and to support research discoveries through conversion to delivery for the agricultural biotechnology sector. The VABC co-locates and clusters academic and commercial research and development groups in the agricultural biotechnology sector, fostering an environment that promotes effective interactions, networks and the incubation of spin off companies. We intend to grow the reputation of the facility as a location of world class research and development, adding to the international standing and competitiveness of the Australian agricultural biotechnology industry, Professor Parish said. Professor Spangenberg said long-standing links with the DPI Plant Biotechnology Center and the Molecular Plant Breeding CRC means scientists from these research agencies can co-supervise La Trobe University postgraduate students. Collaborative links with industry have already resulted in a number of shared patents. He said the VABC will significantly enhance the science and technology base and innovation capability of Australias agricultural biotechnology sector. Co-locating academic and commercial R&D groups in this way fosters an environment that promotes effective interactions, networks and the incubation of spin-off companies. La Trobe University also provides opportunities for VABC tenants to collaborate with visiting scholars and to access overseas speakers for seminars, forums and conferences, Professor Spangenberg said.

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