A study on the different stages of the plant biotechnology industry and the concentration of the global seed market

This study aims to analyze the structural changes experienced by the seed industry in the face of the development, patenting, and commercialization of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). We use the classification codes defined by the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) to categorize a bank of 7,221 biotechnological patents into three technological fields: i) enabling technologies, ii) genetic sequences, and iii) germplasm. The article also outlines a timeline of plant biotechnologies to visualize the evolution over the 1982–2013 period of patent filings in each of the three technological fields. The results revealed that, as of 2006, much of the research efforts dedicated to GMOs were redirected from molecular biology techniques to traditional plant breeding programs in an attempt to strengthen corn, soybean, and cotton germplasm banks. Monsanto and Dupont’s increasing control over these germplasm banks has contributed to ensuring competitive advantages in the commercialization of GMOs and restricting the spread of transgenic seeds developed by rival firms. It is concluded that such competitive advantages expanded the market share of the two companies, increasing the concentration level of the seed industry in the first half of the 2010s.