80 / SEEDWORLD.COM OCTOBER 2018 STATUS BRAZIL This year marks the 20th year that Brazil has been plant- ing GM crops. Throughout this period, what stands out are the benefits for farmers resulting from planting GM soybeans, corn and cotton. Consequently, the pro- ductivity and yield of the GM crops have been, on average, higher than conventional crops. The data is part of a study, “20 Years of GMOs in Brazil: Environmental, Economic and Social Impacts,” which was con- ducted by Agroconsult with support from the Council for Information on Biotechnology (CIB Brazil). Throughout the period being analyzed, the profit obtained per hectare from GM soybeans was up to 26 percent higher than the conventional variety. For corn, the perfor- mance differential reached 64 percent in the summer harvest and 152 percent in the winter harvest. In the case of cotton, GM seeds have a margin of 12 percent higher than non-mod- ified ones. “The positive effect of this technology on agriculture and on the quality of life, level of education and profit for the population is unquestionable,” says Adriana Brondani, CIB executive director. —Source: CIB Brazil. STATUS INDIA In early September, India’s Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in cooperation with the ICAR-National Bureau of Genetic Resources organized a meeting in New Delhi. The world STATUS A look at seed industry developments around the globe. Whether its growers or citizens, companies and countries have their best interests at heart. From Brazil’s increased yields to increasing the quality of the diet in Nigeria, plant breeders and the seed industry is hard at work. meeting brought together 50 exerts from across the coun- try to discuss the need for promoting and prioritizing the development of quinoa and grain amaranth, as they have the potential to play an integral role in crop diversification. BS Dillon, who serves as vice chancellor of the univer- sity, shared that these crops could help to introduce a new cropping pattern, and they also provide farmers an opportunity to link to the pro- cessing and industrial sectors. ICAR’s DK Yadava, assistant director general for seeds, shared that the organization was conduct- ing research on 17 food and fodder crops of industrial value through different cent- ers in a variety of climatic zones within the country. So far, he said, 48 varieties of different crops have been released, besides identifying desirable genetic donors and accumulate indigenous and exotic germplasm collec- tion. —Source: Tribune News Service India. STATUS JAPAN Following the initial decision about the non-regulation of gene editing procedures by a government panel in Japan, the Ministry of Environment holds its second meeting about the handling of gene edited organisms. The initial recommendation was to not regulate gene editing pro- cedures, as the technology does not involve the inser- tion of DNA from a foreign source. However, they gave exceptions to gene-edited organisms that will be grown outdoors, in which data bout the gene alteration must be provided to the government. Opposing views are expressed about the pan- el’s conclusion. Hideharu Anazawa of the Japan Bioindustry Association says that the panel’s decision was befitting, as the technology poses few risks, whereas Michiyo Koketsu, the secretary general of the Consumers Union of Japan says that the panel has underestimated the risk of unintended changes that may be introduced using the technology. In the panel’s second meeting, they agree to the same conclusions of not regulating genome-edited organisms and plan to form an advisory panel on GMOs, where legal experts will be invited to discuss the suit- ability of the conclusions. —Source: NHK World Japan. STATUS NETHERLANDS During the first part of September, Florist Holland and HilverdaKooij, two Dutch companies that have been active flower plant breeders and propagators for more than 40 years, announced their plan to merge. However, ownership essentially remains the same because both companies are members of the Royal Hilverda group. “In the past, they always worked as two separate entities because of product lines and politics, but with the changing economics, both