They are the rock stars of the food world, the next "big things" that will change what people eat, but a royalty dispute could mean they never hit the table. Unlike the copyright disputes of famous musicians, there are more than riffs and lyrics at stake if the billion-dollar food fight is not resolved.
A flaw in Australia's plant-breeding rights system could mean fruits, vegetables, and grains needed to feed the world and combat climate change are never developed. And without them, future food security is at risk. In a greenhouse in the Netherlands, a competition not unlike Australia's Got Talent is unfolding.
But the key contestants are plants, not singers. Scientists are busy assessing the performance of a tomato spicier than the hottest chilli, a seedless capsicum, and other vegetables that are resilient in the face of climate change.
It's run by global agtech company Syngenta, the same company that introduced a purple tomato to Australia four years ago. But unlike the relative overnight success of a viral pop star, the head of the company's Europe, Africa and Middle East value chain, Jérémie Chabanis, says it can take 20 years to produce a hit. "During all these years you need to put millions on the table to pay our staff to invest [in breeding plants]," he says.
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