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Bio-Pharming’s Likely Impacts on Tobacco
Growers
Tobacco bio-pharming will not  offer
a “single solution” to the economic downturn faced by
many tobacco growers and their communities -- tobacco bio-pharming
is anticipated to involve only a small number of growers, with small
acreage involved. Moreover, tobacco bio-pharming is expected to
be tightly, corporately controlled. And, considering that only a
few biotech companies have invested in tobacco as a biologic production
vehicle, with some being relatively small start-ups, signs point
to limited opportunities to produce bio-tobacco.
It is not clear just how many acres -- or how many
growers -- will be required in the future to supply the pharmaceutical
and medical industries with tobacco biomass for full-scale production
of therapeutics derived from tobacco. Based on a review of the needs
of the biotech companies that have invested in tobacco as a bio-pharming
mechanism, as a rough estimate, it is speculated that about 10,000
acres will be needed annually for commercial scale tobacco bio-pharming.
 This
acreage represents about 2.5 percent of the acres devoted to tobacco
production in the U.S. in 2003. While this acreage will not allow
for a majority of tobacco growers to come aboard, some growers will
indeed benefit from the opportunity. And, there are possible secondary
effects on some tobacco-producing communities, as well. Bio-pharmed
tobacco will be harvested fresh, so is it likely that processing
facilities will be needed close to where the tobacco plants are
grown. 
Can bio-pharming revitalize tobacco growing communities? Perhaps
so, but most likely to a limited extent, at best. Will bio-pharming
provide a niche opportunity for some tobacco growers? It appears,
based on the available evidence, that a small niche is a realistic
outcome.
Want to learn more about
the social and economic impacts of tobacco biopharming? Click here
or on the Reports link to the left...
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