New Delhi: A senior US agriculture department official is scheduled to meet agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh and other officials on August 31 in the backdrop of Monsanto’s legal tussle and the overarching issue of genetically modified foods.
The American agri multinational is involved in several cases with the government and domestic seed companies over cotton seed trait (technology) fees and IP rights and this may be one of the topics of discussion for Seth Meyer, chairman of the World Agricultural Outlook Board of US department of agriculture (USDA).
Robert Johansson, chief economist at the USDA, had also met officials in April last year.
Seeds of Discontent
Monsanto has filed a case against the government on a price control order that enables the latter to fix cotton seed price. The next court hearing is on October 13.
Monsanto has also filed four writ petition against orders passed by the Competition Commission of India, ordering investigation into Monsanto group companies by the commission’s director-general. Hearings for these are slated for October 13 and December 13. Both Monsanto and Nuziveedu Seeds have appealed against the single judge order which held that the termination of agreement with Nuziveedu invalid and illegal. The appeal has been heard by a division bench and judgment could be out anytime, say lawyers.
US officials in India question agri-tech and biotech policies and acceptance of the same, considering the PM’s mandate to double farmers’ income.
“We have a perspective that India is not keeping pace with peers such as China, Vietnam, Bangladesh and others when it comes to ensuring that farmers have access to world class innovative technologies,” said a US official on condition of anonymity.
The American agri multinational is involved in several cases with the government and domestic seed companies over cotton seed trait (technology) fees and IP rights and this may be one of the topics of discussion for Seth Meyer, chairman of the World Agricultural Outlook Board of US department of agriculture (USDA).
Robert Johansson, chief economist at the USDA, had also met officials in April last year.
Seeds of Discontent
Monsanto has filed a case against the government on a price control order that enables the latter to fix cotton seed price. The next court hearing is on October 13.
Monsanto has also filed four writ petition against orders passed by the Competition Commission of India, ordering investigation into Monsanto group companies by the commission’s director-general. Hearings for these are slated for October 13 and December 13. Both Monsanto and Nuziveedu Seeds have appealed against the single judge order which held that the termination of agreement with Nuziveedu invalid and illegal. The appeal has been heard by a division bench and judgment could be out anytime, say lawyers.
US officials in India question agri-tech and biotech policies and acceptance of the same, considering the PM’s mandate to double farmers’ income.
“We have a perspective that India is not keeping pace with peers such as China, Vietnam, Bangladesh and others when it comes to ensuring that farmers have access to world class innovative technologies,” said a US official on condition of anonymity.