Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
Page 17
Page 18
Page 19
Page 20
Page 21
Page 22
Page 23
Page 24
Page 25
Page 26
Page 27
Page 28
Page 29
Page 30
Page 31
Page 32
Page 33
Page 34
Page 35
Page 36
Page 37
Page 38
Page 39
Page 40
Page 41
Page 42
Page 43
Page 44
Page 45
Page 46
Page 47
Page 48
Page 49
Page 50
Page 51
Page 52
Page 53
Page 54
Page 55
Page 56
Page 57
Page 58
Page 59
Page 60
Page 61
Page 62
Page 63
Page 64
Page 65
Page 66
Page 67
Page 68
Page 69
Page 70
Page 71
Page 72
Page 73
Page 74
Page 75
Page 76
Page 77
Page 78
Page 79
Page 80
Page 81
Page 82
Page 83
Page 84
SEPTEMBER 2015 SEEDWORLD.COM 73 spread. Polling shows German public opposition to GE foods has run steadily in the 80 per- cent range and that there is a high degree of familiarity with the issue. For nearly a genera- tion German environmental and consumer activists have protested against the use of biotechnology in agriculture both in Germany and globally. In the current environment other than the existing feed market for soybean there is little prospect of developing a German market for GE crops. Despite these findings Germany is home to world- class companies that develop and supply GE seeds globally. The report also mentioned that world-class developers of GE crops from Germany which includes Bayer CropScience BASF and KWS are moving their biotech research centers to the United States. Source USDA-FAS. STATUS INDIA Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls for a second Green Revolution saying it should start immediately as Indian agriculture has been lagging in several areas including inputs irrigation value addition and market linkages. The Prime Minister says his government is committed to modernizing the sector and making it more productive. He also emphasized the need to use scientific methods for farming to increase productivity. During an event at the Indian Agriculture Research Institute at Jharkhand Modi said Unless we prepare a balanced and comprehensive integrated plan we will not be able to change the lives of farmers. The scientists and experts feel that technology and improvement in infrastructure are key to increased agricultural productivity. In an interview with the Press Trust of India the experts quoted Conventional cultiva- tion will not be able to meet the food demand of our growing population. Shrinking land declining water level and environmental problems can only be addressed through technological intervention. This is where biotechnology genetically-modified crops and marker-assisted breed- ing technology will help said G. Padmanaban of the Indian Institute of Science. K. C. Bansal director of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research said a second Green Revolution is essentially required to meet the growing demand of people both due to increase in population and income levels. With the advent of modern tools of biotechnology it has become possible to address those challenges of agriculture like climate change control of pests or malnutrition which have been difficult to be over- come by conventional plant breeding methods he said. Source The Economic Times. STATUS PAKISTAN After Pakistans Senate Agriculture Committee approved the amendments to its 1976 Seed Act the full Senate will convene in the coming months to vote. Aside from the Seed Act the Government of Pakistan is also reviewing the Plant Breeders Rights Act which would strengthen intellectual property protection and the Biosafety Act which would emphasize the role of govern- ment in regulating biotech products. The key provisions include The amendments would bring the private sector under the purview of the Seed Act. Aspiring individuals or com- panies wanting to join the seed industry must have a seed processing plant or reg- ister as a seed dealer. Additionally the sale of seeds without registration or sale of misbranded seeds would be subject to imprisonment or fine. Biotech seeds may not contain the gene that disallows replanting of the crop but is not deployed in commercial crops. And biotech seeds must be approved by the National Biosafety Committee to be safe for the environment humans animals and plants. Source USDA-FAS. SW