BASF Plant Sciences is dropping a project to develop
nutritionally-enhanced feed corn, but is increasing its efforts to develop corn
that can resist fungal diseases.
It is also dropping efforts to get European approval to
market a genetically-modified potato variety, citing the difficulties in
persuading the government to grant approvals and activists’ disruptions in
vandalizing test plots.
The damage inflicted by activists prompted BASF to move its
plant sciences group from Germany to the Research Triangle Park in North
Carolina.
The company said it’s dropping work on genetically-modified
nutritionally-enhanced feed corn because it has failed to find a seed-corn
marketing partner and because the potential market is relatively small.
"(Fungal
resistant corn has) got a very robust market potential, and that's where we
want to shift our resources, and put them into that area," said Fran
Castle Rowland, global brand communications senior manager for BASF Plant
Science.
