Upload
griffin-mervin-reeves
View
217
Download
1
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Agriculture Governance : Biotechnology Context
HyderabadDecember 18 2014
C RavishankarDirector, Monsanto India
Biotechnology as one means to an end
Producing More
2X yields in our core crops by
2030
BreedingBiotechnology
Agronomy
Conserving More
1/3rd lesser resources per unit
(land, water,energy)
N2 use efficiency
H2O use efficiencyPest Management
Improving Lives
Help farmers improve quality of
life
DietsEducation
Vibrant local economy
GovernanceAt the risk of repetition
All processes of governing, whether undertaken by a
government, market or network, whether over a family,
tribe, formal or informal organization or territory and
whether through laws, norms, power or language
Key Objectives in Biotechnology GovernanceFor whom the bell tolls ?
Sustained yields as advertised Safe, Affordable Food
Predictable Growth, Margins Climate, Biodiversity, Ecology
Industry has a vested interest in good governance
You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the
time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time
Abraham Lincoln
…But can we rely only on rational self interest of corporates ?
Farmers in India do not believe blindly in mass media advertising
They do not even believe in claims made in person by companies
They never ever adopt a new product on their entire acreage
They try, experience, and gradually adopt innovations
They rely on a fellow farmer / direct observation to decide on trials
40 years of Monsanto Experience in India
Different models of governance possible
TOP DOWN• Regulation of firm entry norms, R&D,
new product introduction, operations, issue redress mechanisms, claim veracity• Ad Hoc interventions to ostensibly
protect a stakeholder group
BOTTOM UP
• Farmer choice, supported by transparency of performance
• Consumer choice supported by fair, fact based information (not misinformation)
• Vigorous Competition
Industry Self Regulation : Norms of Good BehaviorIndustry Ombudsman / Dispute Resolution
Industry sponsored objective product assessments
Some desirables from regulation
• Let the rules be known, known clearly, at the outset• Let not rules change often • Alignment of centre and states…
• Avoid replication of what the market can do : weed out bad products and companies, regulate price
• Help market be efficient : create transparent objective performance measurement, reduce entry capital barriers, while preventing fly-by-night operators from entry
• Adopt clear rules for intellectual property protection, to be replicable (everyone interprets them the same way)
• Promote local innovation through government venture capital, large deals with owners of IP
• Create business models in non-hybrid seed markets
• Make in India – extend to food/fibre !• Can be biggest route to poverty alleviation• Give farmers a level playfield, support on insurance, extension
Predictability
Complement to market
mechanisms
Promote fair innovation
Think long-term