Contract Farming Resource Centre

Structural Change In The Biotech Seed And Chemical Industrial Complex

Organization Iowa State University
Year 1998

In this paper, the restructuring of the seed and chemical industries is discussed. Impacts on the herbicide and insecticide markets are detailed, along with the contractual relationships between biotechnology seed suppliers and farmers. Antitrust issues raised by the recent wave of merger and acquisition activity and intellectual property rights issues are briefly discussed.