Is the Advent of Biotechnology Going to Change the Market for Fruits and Vegetables?
Is the development of new varieties using genetic engineering a temporary market fluctuation or are these varieties likely to become major parts of the marketplace in the years to come? Mr. Alfonso Roma, the president of Empresas La Moderna SA, or ELM, the largest vegetable seed company in the world, believes that within ten years, 80% of all fruits and vegetables will be genetically engineered in one way or another. Further he envisions vegetables such as nonbrowning lettuce, broccoli with enhanced cancer-fighting properties, and produce of all kinds that won’t wrinkle, spoil or blemish. Some products are already well along in the commercial pipeline, viral-resistant squash and longer lived tomatoes; others are only in early stages of development, sweeter peas and insect-resistant cucumbers. Other products, not directly requiring biotechnology but making use of indirect benefits of the development of genetic engineering, are currently being developed. These include a milder jalape o p
