Markets Dwindle for Genetically-Manipulated Soybeans From Brazil
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[Excerpted from the Jornal Gazeta Mercantil
[similar to Wall Street Jornal] (October 13, 1998)
"Transgenics in circle of waiting" - Brazil's Agriculture Minister had a
negative reaction regarding import of soya
The braz. government will put the breaks re. the authorization for the
comercialization of soya geneticamente manipulated. The agriculture
Minister, Francisco Turra, confirmed to this newspaper yesterday that the
negative reaction of Japan re. the diffusion of transgenic varieties in
Brasil will hold up the process of liberating comercially roundup soya,
produced by Monsanto Brazil.
Turra returned last week from a trip to Japan where he met government
members, businessmen and executives from trading companies. In his talks he
clearly felt the interest of Japan to increase the importations of soya from
Brazil, but at the same time he heard condemnations re. Brazil adopting
transgenic soya.
"We must be more careful with this liberation, independent of the decision
that the Government commission CTNBio has decided that this new soya doesn't
create agression to the environment or health problems to man, we have to
discuss the whole thing from a marketing view point", said Turro. Or in
other words, what would of greater advantage for Brazil - to adopt or not
adopt transgenic soya. ....
Brazil soya exports correspond at present to 1,5 billion US$ out of a total
of 5 billion; i.e. 30% of Japan's imports. Apart from the fact that
transgenic soya costs the farmers 25% less than other varieties, the
Japanese or Europeans put so hard restrictions on the entry of products into
their territory.
Transgenic soya represents approx. 50% of the soya planted in Argentina and
30% in the US.
Now with the upsurge of a new green wave in Europe - the new German
chancellor was voted with the help of a coalition with the Greens - it'll
be even more difficult to open markets for transgenic soya.
Apart from marketing discussions, the decision on the use of transgenic soya
and its liberation in the country is being difficulted thru court actions.
At present there are two court appeals in Brasilia: one by the judge Raquel
Fernandes Perrini in favour of the Braz. Institute for Consumer Protection
(Idec), which had been trasnferred to the justice in Brasilia at the
beginning of October. The other one originates from the congressman Fernando
Ferro.
These court actions have the goal of proibiting that the government
liberates the planting, transporting, storing, comercialization, consume,
import, liberating and throwing away of transgenic soya. The government took
actions against but couldn't succeed so far that these court decisions were
lifted.