seeds

GMO Geopolitics Update: Mon(ster)Santo Loses Patent Rights In India

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gmoJoseph P Farrell – Ms. M.W. spotted this one and, in my estimation, it could be a very significant development in the emergence of GMO geopolitics. The US “agribusiness” giant Mon(ster)santo has lost a crucial decision in India; it cannot patent its GMO seeds in that country. But there’s more:

Monsanto loses right to patent seeds

Here’s the crucial parts of the story:

Opponents of genetically modified crops received a boost when the Delhi High Court upheld the Indian Patent Act, which states that seeds and life forms cannot be patented, and the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001 (PPV&FR Act), which biotechnology multinationals have tried to undermine, and ruled that key plant genetic material cannot be patented. The court was deciding a dispute between Monsanto and Nuziveedu Seeds Ltd, Prabhat Agri Biotech Ltd and Pravardhan Seeds Private Ltd, over interpretation of law, especially Section 3(j) of the Indian Patent Act and applicability of PPV&FR Act for transgenic plants. Continue reading →

World Bank Wants To Hand Over Seeds To Agribusiness…

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world bankJoseph P Farrell – …Yes, you read that correctly: the World Bank is now formulating agricultural policy for, well, just about everyone, and (surprise surprise) it thinks GMOs are a great idea, and that farmers sewing and planting (and of course, trading) their seeds is a very bad idea; here’s the article (shared by Ms. M.W.):

World Bank Aims to Hand Over Seed Industry to Agribusiness

While noting that the world’s seed supply lies largely under the control of six agribusiness giants (except, of course, in Russia, which has banned them… hmmmm), the first three paragraphs note something important:

A host of concerned organizations and individuals have come out in opposition to a corporate-backed plan by the World Bank to control the world’s seed industry. The groups say that the wide-reaching plan will strip farmers of their rights to seeds and food.

The denouncement comes in response to the World Bank’s report titled, “Enabling the Business of Agriculture.” A letter signed by 157 organizations and academics, was addressed to World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and the EBA’s five donor organizations, to demand an end to the controversial project.

“The EBA dictates so-called ‘good practices’ to regulate agriculture and scores countries on how well they implement its prescriptions,” said Frederic Mousseau, policy director from the Oakland Institute. “The Bank, behind closed doors, convinces governments to implement reforms based on the EBA scores, thereby bypassing farmers and citizens’ engagement,” he added. – (Emphasis added)

There you have it: a “study group” sponsored by a central bank recommends “good practice”, i.e., “regulations” designed to favor certain competition( in this case, the big agribusiness giants), the bank then adopts its own recommendations, and tells governments to do the same, otherwise the spigot of World Bank loans stops, and a country won’t be able to buy I.G. Farbensanto’s expensive seeds and pesticides.

In other words, more globaloney:

Continue reading →