Thais resisting Monsanto's BT cotton Fri, 11 Feb 2000 10:52:57 -0500 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit source - Mark Graffis THAILAND: January 31, 2000 BANGKOK - Monsanto Thailand said it faced resistance to its plan to introduce biotechnology (BT) cotton commercially in Thailand. "It's one of the toughest tasks we have ever been through, attempting to convince the government on the safety standards of BT cotton. I think Thailand has set very tough rules on genetically modified organism (GMO) products," general manager for the agricultural sector, Sanya Bhumichitra, told Reuters. "It would take some more time, perhaps a year or two, to go on with the BT cotton plan. Anyway, it totally depends on the authorities," he said in an interview. Monsanto Thailand, a unit of the New York-listed Monsanto Co , wants to bring in pest resistant BT cotton seeds to try to help boost Thai cotton yields and cut expensive imports. But the move has been roundly opposed by environmentalists claiming the introduction of BT cotton into the market would affect local varieties and possibly public health. Opposition to GMO products in Thailand, a leading world commodities exporter, has led to import bans on over 40 BT agricultural items. Sanya said Thailand imported about 95 percent of cotton worth about 16 billion baht consumed locally. It was paradoxical that Thailand, a leading world textile producer still had to rely largely on imported raw materials. "Thailand is losing its competitive edge to China and Indonesia, where labour costs are much cheaper. Moreover, China has started planting BT cotton and will soon have an edge over us in term of material sourcing," he added. "The environmentalists have never looked at the other side of the coin. This BT cotton is going to do more good than harm. Why do we keep on with cotton that returns lower yield?" he said. Sanya said Monsanto also had plans to import seeds for BT corn, which is drought-resistant and requires small amounts of pesticide. "Considering the lengthy process of screening BT cotton, I believe it would take years for the government to deregulate its existing ban on BT corn," he said. Monsanto said it has 30 percent of Thailand's corn seed market, the second largest market share. The Charoen Pokphand Group dominates about half of the market where demand was about 18,000 tonnes of corn seeds, worth 1.2 billion baht, last year. Monsanto's seed sales in 1999 were worth about two billion baht, rising 10 percent from the previous year. The company has projected sales growth of about 15 percent this year. REUTERS NEWS SERVICE ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytas-02.11.00-10:52:55-28438