HONG KONG -- A proposed patent by agro-giant Monsanto on genetic blueprints of high-yield soybeans has, according to this story, caused alarm in China, where the crop has been grown for thousands of years. The story says that the argument over the patent -- though the application was made in the United States -- reflects a growing awareness of intellectual property issues in China and their bearing on the country's fate as it opens its markets and moves into the World Trade Organization. Chang Ruzhen, chairman of the China Soybean Society and an expert on soybean varieties, was quoted as saying, "This could affect genetic research throughout the world. It's not good news for anyone."
The story says that if history is any indication, Monsanto will wield significant commercial power if its U.S. patent application on high-yield, fast-growing soy DNA is granted.
Biotechnology author Dan Charles was cited as saying that Monsanto already receives royalities on about 60 percent of the U.S. soy market with its patents on genetically engineered plants resistant to herbicide, and if it gets the high-yield soy patent, its grip on the market could improve. What's more, Monsanto would probably seek to splice the high-yield gene into other crops as well, requiring additional royalties from seed companies wanting to use the technology.
Anti-biotechnology advocate Jeremy Rifkin was quoted as saying, "Farmers around the world are upset with patents." The story says that soy was first cultivated in north China's Yellow River valley more than 4,000 years ago. It was not grown widely in the United States until the 1930s. Since then, soy has invaded diets worldwide, becoming a multi-billion dollar business.
If Chinese farmers were to unwittingly ignore a Monstanto patent, that "might make it impossible to export some Chinese soy products and could even result in international trade sanctions," the state-run newspaper Southern Weekend said in a recent front-page story
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