Page 49 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 19

Food Health

wide, emissions keep growing every
year, including in Africa, where fer-
tilizer use is now growing rapidly.”
If we go back to the report by BA-
SIC, CCFD-Terre Solidaire and Pol-
linis, we see something that is very
important for us to understand and
keep in mind, i.e., where the money
is. “In 1990, 16 firms accounted for
about 80% of the pesticide market.
But successive mergers and acqui-
sitions have led to a market with
four leading companies – Bayer,
BASF, Syngenta/ChemChina and
Corteva – which together occupy
more than two thirds of the mar-
ket.” The pesticide-herbicide-fer-
tilizer-seed synergies that these
companies have created mean that
these companies are also “leaders in
the agricultural seed sector, holding
a nearly 60% share of the global
market.” As a result, at 10-20%,
their profit-to-turnover ratios are
“50% above the European manu-
facturing industry average”. This is
taking place while generic pesticides
from China and India, which are up
to four times cheaper than patented
versions, enjoy increased popularity,
making China the largest and India
the fifth-largest exporters of these
products. China’s top chemical com-
pany, ChemChina is “the world’s
emissions… and then consider that with the three organizations, “the leading chemical company, particu-
almost all synthetic pesticides are production and usage of synthetic larly in agrochemicals.” Thanks to
derived from petroleum, and have nitrogen fertilizers account for 2.4% its merger with Chinese state-owned
an effect on soil health and viabil- of global emissions, making it one SinoChem and its takeover of Syn-
ity, (herbicides too) – and these all of the top climate polluting indus- genta in 2017, one of the top three
affect plant, animal and human life trial chemicals.” Not only that, but European pesticides firms.
through air, water and soil contam- their research found that “emis-
ination, you begin to see a pattern sions from synthetic N fertilisers What should really cause your
emerge that can help provide you are highly concentrated in certain eyebrows to rise is the next piece
with clues as to what games are geographic areas. The main emitters of information. The report goes
going on around the area of Big are China, India, North America on to say that with the exception
Agriculture. and Europe. But, on a per capita of Syngenta/ChemChina, the
basis, the highest emitters are the three largest pesticide and fertilizer
According to an article by Grain, big agricultural export countries of companies “are partly owned by
Greenpeace and Institute for Agri- North America (US and Canada), the same five private equity funds:
culture and Trade Policy, which we South America (Argentina, Brazil, Blackrock, Vanguard, State Street,
re-shared in the last issue of this Paraguay, Uruguay) Australia/New Capital Group and Fidelity.” Who
magazine (here), based on research Zealand and Europe (Denmark, also own “between 10% and 30%
undertaken by scientists working France, Ireland, Ukraine). World- or more of the capital of the global

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