AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE PRODUCTION EFFECTS OF ADOPTING GM SEED TECHNOLOGY: THE CASE OF FARMERS IN ARGENTINA

Board of the INASE represents the different economic stakeholders in the regulatory
framework of agricultural seeds (Figure 1).⁵⁷

FIGURE 1. Structure of INASE⁵⁸

1 Director: designated by the Federal
Agriculture and Livestock Council (CFA)
(Consejo Federal Agropecuario)
1 Director: designated by the National
Agriculture and Livestock Technology
(INTA) (Instituto National de Tecnologia
Agropecuaria)

1 Director: designated by seed producers

1 Director: designated by seed registrars

1 Director: designated by seed traders
1 Director: designated by fruit and trees
producers
2 Directors: designated by farmers and
consumers

The evolution of the legislation in Argentina has focused on the development and
improvement of a Plant Variety Protection type of property rights without any advance in
the field of patenting new varieties.

Genetically Modified Seed and the Quest for Patent Protection

The Argentine government was one of the first, together with the United States, to
allow the use of genetically modified crops. In 1991, the Secretary of Agriculture created

55 See id.

56 The law states:

Article 1: the Decree 1104/200, which dissolved the Instituto Nacional de Semillas (INASE), is
derogated.

Article 2: By the present law we ratify the validity of the Decree 2817/91, restoring the Instituto
Nacional de Semillas (INASE) the functions, missions and structures regulated by the Law 20247, the
Decree 2183/91 and the Administrative Decision 489/96.

Law No. 25845, Jan. 6, 2004, Honorable Congreso de la Nacion Argentina, January 7, 2004, B.O. No,
30312, at 2. available at http://infoleg.mecon.gov.ar/infolegInternet/anexos/90000-
94999/91549/norma.htm.

57 See id. The Consejo Federal Agropecuario was created by Law No. 23843 of 1990 and is a Council
comprised of representatives of the rural sector from the different regions of the country. The director
of the Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock and Fishing of the Nation presides over this council. Law No.
23843, Sept. 26, 1990, Honorable Congreso de la Nacion Argentina, October 19, 1990, B.O. No. 26992.
available at http://www.carbap.org/root/MostrarDocumento.asp?id=614&accion=4.

58 For figure data, see Law No. 25845, supra note 86.

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