Statements by the Russian authorities to refuse to import genetically modified products have become a negative signal for leading manufacturers of GMOs. Nevertheless, Monsanto still has great views of both Russia, Ukraine and the whole world.
Monsanto Transnational Corporation is a leader in the production and sale of seeds of transgenic crops. In the United States, Monsanto controls 80% of the genetically modified corn market and 93% of the transgenic soybean market.
At the same time, the company is actively promoting in the segment of conventional crops. According to some estimates, Monsanto accounts for about 40% of the seed market for traditional crops in the United States and 20% — worldwide.
In May 2013, Monsanto announced that it would increase its presence in Ukraine: the company plans to increase the Ukrainian corn seed market from the current 20% to 30% in 2015. For this, in particular, Monsanto planned to build a $ 140 plant in Ukraine million for the production of ordinary corn seeds.
Nevertheless, the lion’s share of the corporation’s business is transgenic cultures. In the perception of many people around the world, the words “GMO” and “Monsanto” have become almost identical. It is no secret that this perception remains negative.
«The most hated corporation in the world»
Monsanto’s leadership not only in biotechnology, but also in the “dislike” that the company and its activities arouse among ordinary people, is confirmed by surveys. So, in 2011, Naturalnews conducted a survey on this topic. The transgenic brand won by a wide margin — 51% of the 16 thousand people who voted on the site said that Monsanto is «the most evil corporation.» The United States Federal Reserve (21%), BP (9%), Halliburton (5%), McDonalds (3%) and a number of other companies follow it with a large lag.
In May and October 2013, two marches against Monsanto took place in the world, the organizers of which said that the shares were held in 50 countries. The next march is planned for May 2014.
However, contrary to public protests, the development of biotechnologies and their application in the food segment will continue. The global market for transgenic crops is growing, and in this regard, Monsanto with its gene innovations can be considered as a tool for solving various problems, including those of a global nature.
Nothing personal just business
Despite the frankly negative reputation among most ordinary people, we can say that «big money loves GMOs.» Selling GMOs is profitable, especially with so many patents as Monsanto. From a financial point of view, the bet on Monsanto is justified.
Between 1996 and 2012, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), the total cultivated area of genetically modified crops in the world increased from 0 to 180 million hectares.
Infographic: ISAAA
As of early April 2014, Monsanto’s market capitalization on the New York Stock Exchange rose to $ 59 billion.
The continued financial well-being of Monsanto and its shareholders (given the efforts to diversify into conventional crops) will depend on continued growth in the GMO market. In this regard, an increase in the cultivated area of transgenic crops, active export to third world countries and the poorest regions of the planet will allow Monsanto to continue to play a significant role in the global food market.
Impact on the food market
The desire to maximize profits and the sleight of hand of the leadership and lobbyists of Monsanto and a number of other large companies (DuPont, Syngenta, etc.) led to a sharp increase in the value of the seed market. According to experts from the Center for Food Safety, between 1995 and 2011. the average cost of planting one acre of soybeans in the United States grew by 325%. Cotton spending jumped 516%, corn became more expensive to grow by 259%.
In fact, during the “transgenic renaissance”, during which the cultivated area of transgenic crops increased sharply in the USA and in the world, the cost of growing them also increased markedly.
The report notes that the practice of active seed patenting has helped establish tighter corporate controls in the food sector. Large companies have taken over the food market in the United States and intend to do the same globally.
Monsanto actually planted farmers on its products, forbidding them to re-transplant acquired crops. At the same time, the company constantly filed lawsuits against farmers, on whose fields they find accidentally introduced and sprouted transgenic crops.
Similar situations have already led to incidents when exporting food from the United States.
It is worth noting that very soon GMO wheat can enter the world markets quite legally. In January 2014, Monsanto announced that they were about to release seeds of the world’s first variety of genetically modified wheat.
The «solution» to the food problem
The most “good” goal of Monsanto. The world population is growing, the total cultivated area (taking into account the growth of transgenic crops) is stagnating. Monsanto and other food giants promise to “feed the world” through the use of biotechnology.
Contrary to popular claims about the “advantages” of transgenic cultures, a number of scientific papers quite critically evaluate their reliability. They have been published in the journals of Nature
(Commercialized transgenic traits, maize productivity and yield risk ”), the International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, (Sustainability and innovation in staple crop production in the US Midwest) and a number of other scientific publications.
Moreover, in some cases, the company was forced to admit that the effectiveness of the GMO crops that it sells is actually lower than promised. After the use of transgenic cotton seeds Monsanto in India in 2009 — 2010 productivity, on the contrary, decreased. At the same time, modified cultures showed poor resistance against pests. Monsanto was forced to admit these facts.
In 2012, the US Environmental Protection Agency concluded that the genetically modified cultures of Monsanto are far from being as effective as advertised.
In addition to the continued mistrust of the safety of transgenic crops, Monsanto’s story has examples that continue to fuel various conspiracy theories.
Population control? ..
Monsanto Corporation has a long history of manufacturing and supplying substances that lead to mutations in the human body. According to the company itself, in the period 1965 — 1969. Monsanto was one of the main contractors supplying the US Army with Agent Orange, which the military sprayed over Vietnam.
Western media admit that more than 40 years after the end of the war, Monsanto products continue to cause genetic mutations among children in Vietnam.
Monsanto also produced and sold the DDT insecticide, the recombinant bovine growth hormone rBGH, which has become a topic of debate about the safety of its use in food, as well as the sweetener aspartame, which (as it was not immediately clear) can cause cancer.
In 2010, Monsanto Corporation and the spread of transgenic cultures acquired an ally in the face of one of the world’s richest people, Bill Gates. As it turned out, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation acquired 500 thousand shares of Monsanto. In addition, it also became known that the Gates Fund is investing $ 8 million in «developing the supply of soybeans» in Africa together with the large company Cargill, which is engaged in commodity trading.
In the same 2010, Gates gave his notorious lecture at a conference of the TED project, in which, among other things, he said:
“… In the world today, 6.8 billion people. This number will soon increase to about 9 billion. If we can make progress on new vaccines, health care, and reproductive health services, we can reduce it by 10 or 15%. »
Doomsday Vault, World Seed Repository in Svalbard, Norway
Perhaps, however, you should not give in to excessive pessimism, and the fears around GMOs and Monsanto are really too far-fetched? After all, the Noah’s Ark has already been created in the world to preserve all agricultural plants that exist in the world.
Among sponsors is Doomsday Vault on Svalbard Island, which will help maintain the cleanliness of the food crop gene pool. No Monsanto — only the same Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, DuPont, Syngenta …
