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Annual Review of Resource Economics

Volume 12, 2020

Concentration in Seed and Biotech Markets: Extent, Causes, and Impacts

Abstract

The merger of Dow and DuPont, the acquisition of Syngenta by ChemChina, and the acquisition of Monsanto by Bayer have recently reshaped the global seed and biotech industry and caused concern about growing market concentration. This review documents market concentration in seed and agricultural biotech markets and discusses its causes and impacts. The available evidence suggests that concentration in seed markets varies strongly by crop and by country, while markets for biotech traits are considerably more concentrated. Complementarities between seed, biotech, and crop protection chemicals explain much of the observed structural changes in the industry, and new complementarities may be emerging with digital agriculture. Although growing concentration might in theory lead to higher prices and less innovation, evidence on this is currently limited; this tendency is also in part offset by the remedies imposed by competition authorities.

Keyword(s): agricultural biotechnology, competition, concentration, JEL L11, JEL L40, JEL L65, JEL O30, JEL Q16, market power, seed industry, seed markets
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2020-10-06
2024-04-23
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Concentration in Seed and Biotech Markets: Extent, Causes, and Impacts
Annual Review of Resource Economics 12, 129 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-resource-102319-100751
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-resource-102319-100751
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-resource-102319-100751
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