On February 20th, 2008, Monsanto announced that it was establishing a global seed treatment platform. The global seed treatment platform is a natural complement to the company’s seed strategy as well as our investments in breeding and biotechnology. In line with this announcement, Monsanto announced that it is focused on identifying new proprietary seed-based technologies that can be launched in parallel with our soybean, corn and cotton platforms.
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In 2009, Monsanto plans to treat all Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans with a proprietary treatment. Today less than 25 percent of soybean seeds sold in the United States are treated.
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In 2010, we plan to have a proprietary seed treatment for the launch of our SmartStax corn product.
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In 2011, Monsanto plans to have a proprietary seed treatment solution for our Deltapine cotton genetics portfolio.
To support the development of these proprietary seed treatments, the company is currently working to negotiate and finalize a number of licensing and supply agreements. Monsanto announced that it has already formed a number of strategic alliances including separate agreements with Becker Underwood and Plant Health Care Inc. The agreement between Monsanto and Becker Underwood is focused on evaluating a biological seed treatment aimed at helping soybeans improve both their nitrogen fixation ability and overall plant performance. Monsanto is also working with Plant Health Care Inc. to develop and commercialize a novel seed-based solution for nematodes, a plant parasite that can severely limit crop yields around the world in crops such as corn, soybeans, cotton and vegetables.
The global seed treatment industry generates annual sales of greater than $1.5 billion, with almost $900 million in the crops key to Monsanto’s business. Currently, Monsanto treats more than 1 billion pounds of seed each year and sees the potential to expand treatment to new crops and new geographies.
Note from Chi: Notice the use of PROPRIETARY SEED BASED TECHNOLOGIES. What this means is that the farmer has to use seeds treated by Monsanto's patented methodology in order to remain competitive - in the short term. Over the longer term (three or more years) the farmers will be totally dependent on these seeds. Doesn't this ring anyone's alarm bells?
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2 comments:
well yes this is very alarming, no wonder you haven't had any comments when I was writting mine it simply disappeard after my firewall alerted me to a attack from something called Land, No company should be allowed to monopolize on the global market, let alone alter the state of our food, or evolutions natural selection, If we don't get some congressional action our food supply is doomed, Doctors and scientist have tried to speak out and have not had a good respose, the leading scientist and medical staff in the United States have been shut down. Barouc Obama is right we need to clean the congressional house. Check out the DVD "The Future of Food" by Deborah Koons also you should go to www.thefutureoffood.com......Felicia fj.seabreeze@gmail.com
This represents far and away the most ambitious and hubristic attempt at total global control in the history of the planet: if you own the food supply, you own it all.
Monsanto headquarters should be vaporized with a large nuclear WMD, all corporate charters should be revoked at once.
We need to rewind back to the mid-19th century, when corporations existed at the sufferance of (then still sovereign) governments.
If we don't do this -- and we won't, of course -- then we're doomed (which we are, of course).
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