Monsanto, Pakistan Government Sign Letter Of Intent

Posted by Matt Hopkins|3 June 2008

Monsanto Co. and the government of Pakistan’s Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (MINFAL) have signed a letter of intent to begin cooperating in advanced transgenic technology, according to the US Dept. of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service (USDA-FAS).

The Pakistan government’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) authorized MINFAL to sign the agreement in technical with Monsanto to expand and improve the quality of Pakistan’s cotton crop.

Monsanto will use its Bollgard product and other cotton technology in Pakistan in under a financial arrangement. The agreement extends to other commercial crops as well, such as corn, soybeans, and vegetables.

The enactment of the Plant Breeders Rights Bill 2008 and the Seed (Amendment) Bill 2008 by Pakistan’s parliament were also discussed at the ECC meeting. The failure to pass these bills is viewed as a major obstacle in the development of genetically engineered crops for Pakistan.