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World Sugar Industry Competes For Markets
August 2, 2004
By Mikkel Pates, Agweek Staff Writer
FARGO, N.D. - One speaker at the eighth World Sugar Conference in Fargo, N.D., captured the group's imagination when he described the world's sugar-producing countries as several "dogs" of varying sizes and strengths - all trying to find their place to eat out of the same "bowl." The bowl, in his analogy, is the sugar market.
Biotechnology must
In his remarks to the group, Markwart also said the sugar industry - if it's going to be competitive - must "embrace biotechnology." GM sugar has been shelved for several years because of concerns about market acceptance, even though the protein can't be identified in processed sugar.
Markwart is a key player in the Sugar Industry Biotech Task Force. With its first meeting in August 2003, the task force is designed to gain acceptance for GM sugar. (In late July, it was renamed the Sugar Industry Biotech Council.) The group is working on regulatory, seed, processor and foreign export issues.
"We're doing all the groundwork on that right now, but you need it not only for weed control, but for control of diseases," Markwart said.
"Where do we need to be three, five, 10 years from now?" Markwart said of the GM issue. "If you don't start today, how are you going to get there?"
