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Knowledge Sharing: Key Step for Agricultural Biotech Penetration

Alejandro Monteagudo - Agrobio México
Former Ceo And Director General

STORY INLINE POST

Mon, 01/22/2018 - 10:21

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Q: What changes is AgroBIO México expecting regarding agricultural practices and is Mexico ready to face them?
A: Modernization and innovation efforts in the Mexican agricultural sector have been insufficient. Mexico still suffers a deficit in terms of food security. For a country to be considered sovereign in terms of food security it must produce at least 75 percent of the food consumed by its inhabitants. For many years, our country has oscillated between 58 and 60 percent. Although Mexico is a large exporter of many products, there are others that are strategic, such as yellow corn, in which the country is not self-sufficient. The national consumption of yellow corn is approximately 13 million tons per year, of which Mexico only produces about 10 percent. We believe the solution lies in innovation, modernization and access to technology. Unfortunately, there has been resistance to the use of new technologies due to a lack of knowledge and a lack of action from the authorities, which has resulted in issues regarding access to these technologies.
Agricultural biotechnology is focused on specific needs and that is completely fine. The problem is that due to the lack of governmental action, many farmers cannot access this technology. In Mexico, there is a technology backlog that will be hard to eliminate, considering we have not been able to agree on the biotechnology discussion for the past 22 years. In 2017, there were 60 million ha sowed with genetically modified corn all around the world and over 91 million tons of genetically modified soy. Around 78 percent of the soy and 33 percent of the corn consumed globally comes from genetically modified seeds. At an international level, the trend is for increased adoption of this technology.
Q: How can the industry reconcile technology’s high costs and make genetically modified seeds accessible to small farmers?
A: The seed’s price is among the most important hurdles. The annual value of the global seeds market is US$45 billion and approximately one-third of that represents genetically modified seeds. Approximately 85 percent of the farmers who sow transgenic seeds can be found in developing countries, such as Colombia, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Brazil, South Africa, India, China and Mexico, although on a very small scale in the latter. One estimate suggests that for every dollar a producer invests in genetically modified seeds, he gets between US$3.6 and US$5.3 in exchange, which means that in the end there is a tangible benefit from this investment.
While it is true that genetically modified seeds can be more expensive than hybrid and conventional seeds, it is also true that producers end up seeing it as an investment because it helps make their production profitable. These seeds also allow producers to reduce other types of inputs, such as fertilizers and agrochemicals. Nevertheless, it is true that the seed’s price is something we must work on.
Q: What is the relationship between AgroBIO, educational institutions and research centers in Mexico?
A: Throughout our 19 years in Mexico, AgroBIO has presented several initiatives to incentivize joint ventures so people stop seeing multinational companies as the driving force of the industry, with a goal to take over the Mexican countryside. It is a sector that is willing to work with all interested parties, including academia and the public sector. A few years ago, when the sowing of genetically modified seeds began, we worked with several academic institutions, including the Autonomous University of Sinaloa, the Technologic Institute of Sonora and the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon.
There is still a great deal of interest among academic institutions to continue the research. Unfortunately, misinformation about transgenics has led to judicial actions that have prevented authorities from making certain decisions that would ease access to this technology. When it comes to production, this inaction means we are lagging behind other countries. However, it also has a parallel effect which we do not usually measure, which is the discouragement it generates when it comes to working in this area.

 

AgroBIO México is a civil association founded in 1999 that groups the five largest agricultural biotechnology companies. The main objective is to broadcast the benefits and potential of agricultural biotechnology

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