Monsanto Makes Move On Asia
4 March 2008 Monsanto believes Asia holds opportunities for the company to expand its sales, according to an article in the Korea Times.
The article stated that several Asian countries are paying more attention to Monsanto’s products based in part on the success being achieved in South America, notably Argentina and Brazil.
Brett Begemann, the executive vice president in charge of the firm’s global business, said in the article that “the Asian market brings Monsanto a mixture of exciting and dynamic growth opportunities.” He added that “In the Asian market, we have biotech crops production countries like Australia, India, China and the Philippines, biotech grains importing countries including Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan, and other potential countries that are interested in growing such technologies in the future like Pakistan and Vietnam.”
In the case of rice ― the staple crop of East Asia ― there is no immediate plan to develop biotech products, Beggemann said. “The seed market for rice has a history of not rewarding innovative research, as demonstrated by low seed prices and saved seed. In the future if this changes, we may be more open to considering options in regard to rice.”
Commenting on the French government’s recent ban of Monsanto’s biotech corn on grounds that the safety of its cultivation was uncertain, Begemann said, “We believe there is no scientific or legal basis whatsoever for France’s ban on Monsanto’s biotech corn. The farmer is really the one who loses in this situation.”
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