TOP TEN LIST! WHO OWNS THE WORLD'S SEEDS????

The World's Top 10 Seed Companies

Company - 2007 seed sales (US$ millions) - % of global proprietary seed market

1.Monsanto (US) - $4,964m - 23%
2.DuPont (US) - $3,300m - 15%
3.Syngenta (Switzerland) - $2,018m - 9%
4.Groupe Limagrain (France) - $1,226m - 6%
5.Land O' Lakes (US) - $917m - 4%
6.KWS AG (Germany) - $702m - 3%
7.Bayer Crop Science (Germany) - $524m - 2%
8.Sakata (Japan) - $396m - <2%
9.DLF-Trifolium (Denmark) - $391m - <2%
10.Takii (Japan) - $347m - <2%
Top 10 Total - $14,785m - 67% [of global proprietary seed market]
Source: ETC Group

The top 10 seed companies account for $14,785 million - or two-thirds (67%) of the global proprietary seed market.

The world's largest seed company, Monsanto, accounts for almost one-quarter (23%) of the global proprietary seed market.

The top 3 companies (Monsanto, DuPont, Syngenta) together account for $10,282 million, or 47% of the worldwide proprietary seed market.

ETC Group conservatively estimates that the top 3 seed companies control 65% of the proprietary maize seed market worldwide, and over half of the proprietary soybean seed market.

Based on industry statistics, ETC Group estimates that Monsanto's biotech seeds and traits (including those licensed to other companies) accounted for 87% of the total world area devoted to genetically engineered seeds in 2007.

The company claims that it licenses its biotech traits to an additional 250 companies. In 2007, almost half (48%) of DuPont's seed revenue came from products that carried a biotech trait. UK consultancy firm, Cropnosis, puts the global value of GM crops in 2007 at $6.9 billion.

The Gene Giants aim to convince governments, farmers and reluctant consumers that genetic engineering is the essential adaptation strategy to insure agricultural productivity in the midst of climate change. According to Monsanto, "everyone recognizes that the old traditional ways just aren't able to address these new challenges" - so the only hope is "climate ready" GM crops.

Bottom line: …Patented gene technologies will not help small farmers survive climate change, but they concentrate corporate power, drive up costs, inhibit public sector research and further undermine the rights of farmers to save and exchange seeds. By contract, IT IS A CONTRACT VIOLATION (law suits!) FOR FARMERS GROWING GM CROPS TO USE SEEDS FROM HARVEST. THEY MUST BUY THEM EVERY HARVEST SEASON FROM THE GM CORPORATION ALONG WITH THE "DESIGNER" PESTICIDES AND FERTILIZERS THE GM CORP DESIGNATES.
(More: http://www.gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/10558-the-worlds-top-ten-seed-companies-who-owns-nature )