I believe
there are two major issues on the horizon for the seed
industry:Biotech Acceptance
The first issue is the public
acceptance of biotechnology as a safe and useful science in
agriculture. Reasonable limits of safety need to be
established worldwide, and useful biotech based products need
to be developed for both the farmers and the consumers. The
current biotech products being sold mainly help the farmer
save costs. This is important in a worldwide market of
historically low commodity prices. The farmers of the world
like biotech products and have dramatically increased their
plantings of transgenic crops from 4.3 million acres in 1996
to 130 million acres in 2001.
But if biotech is going to be
embraced by the general public, there must be products
targeted for the public. Quality enhanced grain and oils, and
vitamin and nutritionally enhanced foods are some of the
product ideas currently under discussion.
Reduced Costs
For biotechnology to be used in crops
other than the major ones (corn, cotton, soybeans, rice),
product development costs must be reduced. This may happen as
the large trait providers become more efficient and can apply
to other crops what they have learned on the major crops. But
the regulatory environment must also change. The public must
have more confidence in biotech crops, and governments must
follow the lead of their constituents and reduce registration
costs.
