¿This paper considers the likely transaction costs that would be entailed in
exchanging plant genetic resources for food and agriculture under bilateral
agreements [...]International germplasm flow over the past decades for specific crop groups, and the number of source countries and destination countries involved, were
estimated. Four different scenarios with a varying degree of germplasm
exchange under bilateral agreements were assumed and likely transaction costs
under these four scenarios were estimated. These scenarios range from an
approach by which all exchange takes place under bilateral arrangements to an
approach by which all germplasm for food, but not for industrial crops, falls under
the Multilateral System of Facilitated Exchange and Benefit Sharing. Only
additional costs, not incurred under the MLS, were taken into account, i.e. costs
for negotiating bilateral agreements, and tracking and monitoring the use of
germplasm under bilateral agreements.¿