February 25, 2003
A Rose is a Rose?... Let's take five with Moira Gunn. This is "Five Minutes".
To date, the genetically modified food crop issue has pitted the enthusiastic embrace of American agribusiness against a staunchly opposed European community.
Well, that's about to change.
Several Asian countries, including China and India, are now planting genetically modified non-food crops, like cotton and flowers, and while no Asian nation currently permits the growing of food crops from genetically-modified seeds, strong forces are pushing and pulling in every direction.
It's like a gathering weather system, where it's hard to tell what's a cause and what's an effect. You can only hope there's no hurricane headed your way. In the case of Asia and biotech crops, there are so many forces at work, I have no doubt that something significant is about to happen.
Not only that. Once it starts to rain, I believe it will pour.
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For starters, over half the people on our planet live in Asia and the Pacific Rim. That's right. Three and a half billion people live on roughly one-sixth of the landmass, and they all need to be fed. Already there's a black market in genetically-modified seeds, and there is strong evidence of planting even without government permission.
And why? Insect-resistant crops eliminate the need for expensive pesticides, which the farmers know are also dangerous to use. Drought-resistant seeds immediately increase yield, and appear to guarantee season after season of abundance. And the perceived benefits in the eyes of these farmers go on and on.
Of course, there are larger economic forces at play as well. The existing biotech seed companies correctly see Asia as an enormous potential market. They are certainly playing whatever role they can to bring about the official acceptance of biotech.
For countries that import significant food supplies, like Japan, growing more of its own food would definitely improve the balance of payments. For major exporters of food, there's the hungry and lucrative world market.
And let's not forget politics and the various national interests.
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From South Korea to Singapore, from Thailand to the Philippines, from Malaysia to Indonesia, nations are not only assessing the risks of bio-engineered crops, they are investing billions in biotech research.
Unwilling to be passive recipients of these technologies, there are self-protection issues to consider. The nations - and the corporations - that create and sell these seeds can exert unprecedented influence here. At risk are both entire agricultural systems and the health of their people. Having to depend on both the science and the manufacture of these seeds from outside their control is taken very seriously.
You see, the potential downside is more than the currently unknown consequences of this new technology. There is also the possibility of intentional havoc and devastation.
While the nations proceed in this risk assessment phase, I cannot believe at this writing that they will all come up with a single unified answer, much less that the answer will be: "It's just too plain risky." I believe that genetically-modified seeds will be utilized, one way or another.
So watch closely now. What you are seeing is the release of bio-tech into the wild.
I'm Moira Gunn. This is Five Minutes.
