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Business Potential for Agricultural Biotechnology - Asian Productivity ...

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Commercialization of <strong>Agricultural</strong> Crop <strong>Biotechnology</strong> Products<br />

associated with the respective country, and regulatory approvals <strong>for</strong> food and feed safety, including<br />

submitting complete dossiers of in<strong>for</strong>mation required by regulatory agencies and conducting<br />

public hearings. Experience with commercialization in several <strong>Asian</strong> countries shows that the<br />

costs range from USD700,000 to USD4.2 million per crop event (Cohen, 2005; Teng, unpublished<br />

data).<br />

Product Stewardship<br />

In addition to regulatory requirements, producers of GM crops ensure the biosafety and<br />

food safety of their products through product stewardship. The public sector may not be as<br />

strong as the private sector in such follow-through, and international organizations like the FAO<br />

can play an important role here, especially in developing and strengthening public sector capability<br />

in product stewardship.<br />

Product stewardship means providing subsequent after-sales support to ensure that the<br />

product is properly used, including, among other things, resistance management schemes, especially<br />

<strong>for</strong> the insect-protected products (Bt corn, Bt cotton), and detection techniques. There has<br />

been a great deal of research on the scientific basis <strong>for</strong> insect resistance management vis-à-vis Bt<br />

crops (Gould, 1998). In North America, resistance management strategies <strong>for</strong> Bt crops rely on<br />

deployment of non-Bt crops within specified geographic areas, a strategy commonly called<br />

refugia management (Gould, 1998). Resistance management <strong>for</strong> diseases using conventional<br />

resistances has been practiced in developed and developing countries <strong>for</strong> decades (Teng, Heong,<br />

and Moody, 1995), and it is only now that the lessons learned are being applied to the management<br />

of transgenic resistance <strong>for</strong> disease control.<br />

<strong>Biotechnology</strong> has demonstrated its usefulness in generating products and knowledge <strong>for</strong><br />

improving resistance to pests, <strong>for</strong> improving the application of fungicides, and <strong>for</strong> biological<br />

control. Underpinning biotechnology’s role in crop protection is its appropriateness in integrated<br />

pest management (IPM), generally accepted worldwide as a cornerstone concept on product<br />

stewardship of crop varieties containing major genes conferring resistance to insects or pathogens.<br />

In its broadest sense, IPM is concerned with maximizing the use of indigenous resources<br />

<strong>for</strong> keeping pest populations at non-economic levels, and it relies only when necessary on the<br />

use of external inputs such as pesticides. It is an ecological approach to pest management which<br />

relies on pest control through natural enemies and cultural practices, augmented by pesticides<br />

when cropping systems in intensifying systems do not adequately support the effectiveness of<br />

indigenous and internal means (Teng, 1994). <strong>Biotechnology</strong> does not in any way contradict the<br />

principles on which IPM is based; rather, it builds on existing genetic material to enhance the<br />

effectiveness of host plant resistance, which remains the main technique available to the majority<br />

of resource-poor farmers in developing countries.<br />

Obtaining Freedom to Operate<br />

Successful commercialization of crop biotech requires not just sound technology relevant to<br />

farmers’ needs but also a supporting environment that includes science-based regulatory frameworks<br />

and also a public that understands and supports mainstream government programs and<br />

science. Public awareness of biotechnology is thus an essential ingredient in the overall preparedness<br />

of a country to commercialize biotech products.<br />

Public Awareness and Socialization<br />

Public knowledge, attitudes, and perception of biotech products are very important factors<br />

that ultimately determine whether biotech crops will make an important contribution to the<br />

world’s food supply. Balancing in<strong>for</strong>mation and news on biotechnology and GM food has been a<br />

challenge in some parts of the world. How does one separate emotion from science? Most of the<br />

major life science companies, when they started commercializing biotech products, did not <strong>for</strong>esee<br />

the many challenges they would encounter. They believed in the value of the product and<br />

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