Farmer and Market Interactions in using Biotech Cotton Varieties and Seed. A Case in Northern China

Guiyan Wang and Michel Fok

Journal of Development Studies, 2014, vol. 50, issue 5, 696-714

Abstract: This paper analyses the extent to which farmers in northern China actually benefit from market development for biotech cultivars and seeds, and how they interact with that development. It firstly appraises similarities and discrepancies observed in this development in China when compared to India, for which the experience has been more widely reported to the international community. It then examines the data obtained in Hebei Province. The results reveal strong competition with a large number of cultivars, including a substantial share of illegal cultivars, and, paradoxically, show high seed prices. In return, this competition is heightened by growers' strategies for adapting to uncertainty when buying seeds. The future of commercial seeds and the use of biotech cultivars are at stake. Competition without some form of control and regulation could be detrimental to both growers and operators in the cultivar and seed sector and could jeopardise investment in breeding and biotechnology.

Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/00220388.2013.866219 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:jdevst:v:50:y:2014:i:5:p:696-714

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/FJDS20

DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2013.866219

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Development Studies is currently edited by Howard White, Oliver Morrissey and Ken Shadlen

More articles in Journal of Development Studies from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().