The Russian authorities ‘ statements about the refusal to import genetically modified foods have become a negative signal for the leading manufacturers of GMOs. Nevertheless, Monsanto remains large as Russia and Ukraine, and all over the world.
Transnational Corporation Monsanto – the leader in production and sales of seeds of transgenic crops. In the US, Monsanto controls 80% of the market of genetically modified maize and 93% of the market of transgenic soybeans. The company conducts an active promotion in the segment of conventional crops. According to some estimates, the share of Monsanto accounts for about 40% of the market of seeds of traditional crops in the U.S. and 20% worldwide.
In may 2013, Monsanto announced that it will increase its presence in Ukraine: the company plans to increase the Ukrainian market of maize seeds from the current 20% to 30% in 2015, in particular, Monsanto had planned to build a plant in Ukraine to cost $140 million for the production of conventional corn seed.
And yet the lion’s share of the business of the Corporation – transgenic crops. In the perception of many people around the world, the words “GMO” and “Monsanto” became virtually identical. It is no secret that the perception of it still remains negative.
“The most hated Corporation in the world”
Leadership Monsanto not only in biotechnology, but “dislike”, which the company and its activities makes ordinary people, is confirmed by the polls. In 2011, the portal Naturalnewsпровел poll on the subject. Transgenic brand won by a wide margin – 51% of the 16 million people who voted on the website, said that Monsanto is the “most evil Corporation”. With a large gap followed by the fed (21%), BP (9%), Halliburton (5%), McDonalds (3%) and a number of other companies.
In may and October 2013 in the world were two of the March against Monsanto organizers which said that the shares were held in 50 countries. Next March is planned for may 2014
However, amid public outcry, the development of biotechnologies and their application in the area of food will continue. The global market for transgenic crops is growing, and in this respect, Monsanto with its gene innovation can be seen as a tool for solving various problems, including global character.
Nothing personal, just business
Despite the overtly negative reputation among the majority of ordinary people, we can say that “big money likes GMO”. To sell GMO is beneficial, especially with the quantity of patents, like Monsanto. From a financial point of view, a bet on Monsanto justified.
In the period from 1996 to 2012, according to the International service assessment of the application of agrobiotechnology (International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, ISAAA), the total acreage of genetically modified crops in the world increased from 0 to 180 million hectares.
Infographics: ISAAA
At the beginning of April 2014, the market capitalization of Monsanto on the new York stock exchange rose to $59 billion.
The future financial well-being of Monsanto and the shareholders of the company (including attempts to diversify in the ordinary culture) will depend on the continued growth of the market of GMOs. In this regard, the increase in the area cultivated territories of transgenic crops, active export to third world countries and the poorest regions of the planet will allow Monsanto to continue to play a major role in the global food market.
Impact on the food market
The pursuit of profit maximization and dexterity of the leadership and lobbyists of Monsanto and other major companies (DuPont, Syngenta and others) has led to a sharp increase in the cost in the seed market. According to experts of the Center of food security of the United States (Center for Food Safety), in the period 1995 – 2011, the average cost of planting one acre of soybeans in the U.S. increased by 325%. The cost of cotton has jumped by 516%, corn has become more expensive to grow 259%.
In fact, during the “transgenic Renaissance”, which in the United States and worldwide has dramatically increased the acreage of transgenic crops, also increased markedly and the cost of cultivation.
The report notes that active practice of patenting seeds has helped to establish more stringent corporate control in the food sector. Large companies got their hands on the food market in the United States and intend to do the same on a global scale.
Monsanto actually hoisted farmers for their products, forbidding them to replant, re-acquired culture. It constantly takes legal action against farmers whose fields inadvertently find listed and germinated transgenic crops.
A similar situation has already led to incidents at food exports from the United States.
It is worth noting that very soon GMO wheat may fall on world markets is legal. In January 2014, Monsanto announced that we are planning to release the seeds of the world’s first varieties of genetically modified wheat.
The “solution” of the food problem
The “good” the goal of Monsanto. The world population is growing, the total amounts of acreage (with the growth of transgenic crops) are stagnating. Monsanto and other food giants promise to “feed the world” through the use of biotechnology.
Contrary to popular statements about the “superiority” of transgenic crops, a number of scientific papers are quite critical of their accuracy. They were published in Nature
(,Commercialized transgenic traits, maize productivity and yield risk”), International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability (Sustainability and innovation in staple crop production in the US Midwest) and several other scholarly publications.
Moreover, in some cases, the company was forced to admit that the effectiveness of GM crops, which she sells, in fact, is lower than promised. After the use of transgenic cotton seed of Monsanto in India in 2009 – 2010, the yield decreases. In this modified crops showed poor resistance against pests. In Monsanto was forced to admit these facts.
In 2012 already protection Agency United States environmental concluded that genetically modified crops Monsanto is not as effective as advertised.
In addition to the continuing distrust of the safety of consumption of transgenic crops in food, history Monsanto has examples that continue to heat up various conspiracy theories.
Control over the population?..
Monsanto Corporation has a long experience in the manufacture and supply of substances that cause mutations in humans. According to the company, in the period 1965 – 1969, Monsanto was one of the main contractors supplying the U.S. army mixture “Agent orange” (Agent Orange), which the military sprayed over Vietnam.
Western media admit that after more than 40 years after the war, production of the Corporation Monsanto continues to cause genetic mutations among children in Vietnam.
Monsanto also manufactured and sold DDT, recombinant bovine growth hormone rBGH, which has become a topic of debate over the safety of its use in food, and also the sweetener aspartame, which (as is not immediately revealed) may cause cancer.
In 2010, the Corporation Monsanto and the spread of transgenic crops had an ally in the person of one of the richest people in the world, bill gates. As it turned out, the Foundation Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation bought 500 thousand shares of Monsanto. In addition, we also learned that the gates Foundation invests $8 million in “development of the soybean supply” in Africa together with a large company, Cargill, which deals in commodity trading.
In the same 2010, gates delivered his notorious lecture at the conference of the TED, which among other things said:
“…The world today has 6.8 billion people. This number will soon increase to roughly 9 billion If we manage to make progress on new vaccines, healthcare, reproductive health, then we can reduce it to 10 or 15%”.
Doomsday Vault, the Svalbard global seed vault in Spitsbergen, Norway
Probably still not worth it to succumb to excessive pessimism, and fears around GMOs and Monsanto is really too far-fetched? After all, the world is already created “Noah’s ark” to preserve all agricultural plants that exist in the world.
Among the sponsors of the “doomsday Vault” on the island of Svalbard, which will help to maintain the purity of the gene pool of food crops. No Monsanto – only all the same the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, DuPont, Syngenta…
