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Pharm and Industrial Crops:
The Next Wave of Agricultural Biotechnology
 		 
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HOW BIG WILL THE PHARM AND INDUSTRIAL CROP INDUSTRY BE?

 
  
  
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  off-site
 Iowa workshop (PDF)
Industry projects that the market for plant-produced pharmaceutical and industrial proteins could reach $200 billion by the year 2010. Tens of companies are in the midst of developing literally dozens of pharm and industrial crops in order to capture a share of that potential market. One commercial partnership boasts of "more than 15 high value industrial and pharmaceutical products in development."

Currently, most pharm and industrial crop products are still in the field-testing stage where trials usually start with very small plots, from under one acre to 10 acres. As the crops get closer to commercialization, the size of test plots can increase dramatically. For example, during a government-sponsored workshop held in Ames, Iowa, in April 2000 (see related link), one California-based company claimed to have received a "policy statement" from the USDA indicating that it was "good to go" on a "thousand acres of production material."

Once companies receive the go-ahead for commercialization, the acres needed to meet market demand will vary considerably from product to product. Some may require large plantings. One company estimates that filling the current US need for a single specific blood protein, for example, would require a tobacco pharm crop consisting of "thousands or hundreds of thousands of acres." By contrast, some products, such as therapeutic vaccines and certain research chemicals will likely require only tens of acres of pharm or industrial plants to meet the specific demands of those particular markets.

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