For several years, Europe and the two Americas have been overwhelmed with emotion, protests, bankruptcies and floods of ink and Internet overuse, due to the emergence of biotechnology giants and their breakthrough: genetically modified organisms (GMO).
Some people consider that GMOs are vegetables or fruits with a very appealing look, but lacking the genuine taste or flavour. The critics called them “Frankenfoods,” mocking their artificial origin.
Gabriel Ionescu, the Romanian representative of America’s most offensive biotechnology company, Monsanto, says that this trend stands for a genuine “green revolution” whose outcomes will become obvious in a couple of years.
Genetically modified seeds stand for about 10% of the total products Monsanto trades in Romania. Gabriel Ionescu, Monsanto Romania general manager, says that the products were well received and that demand exceeded the offer, which was a “quite embarrassing situation.”
Genetically modified soybean seeds from the Roundup Ready class, which is resistant to Roundup herbicide active principle, were cultivated on 40,000 hectares in Romania last year.
Gabriel Ionescu considers that Roundup Ready technology was more than successful in Romania, as “it fit the Romanian farmers’ needs like a glove.”
Roundup Ready is 15-20% cheaper than traditional technologies while the products are similar. Ionescu says that the cultivators of genetically modified soybeans may replace the pesticides that seriously harm the soil or other rotating crops with ecological herbicides, also recommended for protected areas or wildlife reservations.
The benefit is that higher profits may derive from cultivating the same surface unit, namely higher and cheaper crops. It also meets the recent mainstream of cheap, flexible, convenient technologies that bring bigger crops and higher revenues.
On the other hand, Romania’s exports are favoured, as Central European countries do not cultivate soybeans due to the climactic conditions and, subsequently, they have to import large amounts of genetically modified soybeans from the US and Argentina.
Ionescu says that the mad cow disease scandal is a great chance Romania should not miss. Research points out that the bone flour introduced in the cattle’s food led to this disease. The vegetal protein food extracted from soybeans stands for a safer alternative.
“Soybeans cultivators may take advantage of this situation and their trade should aim at western markets, which offer higher prices and payments in due time.”
Monsanto opened the technical subsidiary in Romania 24 years ago and Monsanto Romania was established in 1995, having 150 distributors throughout the country.
“Due to the precarious financial situation, we loan the farmers several millions dollars annually and we assist our clients in trading their crops under the best circumstances,” Gabriel Ionescu says.