Biotechnology and vertical co-ordination in the agrofood chains a case study of the Dutch potato chain

摘要

The advances in biotechnology research in the 1980s led to expectations oflarge-scale applica-tions in agriculture and food production. In the mid-90s, the predicted effects have not yet ma-terialised Biotech research has only resulted in a restricted number of products, and the impact of biotechnology is not a matter of unilinear extrapolation of existing power relations but the result of a complex process which depends on many socio-economic aspects, such as the eco-nomics of innovation, public acceptance and regulation. A case study of biotechnology in the Dutch potato chain has been conducted to see what the impact of biotechnology has been so far. Based on literature review and interviews with potato breeders and processors, an in-depth view was obtained of the structural changes in the chain and of the role biotechnol-ogy in these changes.