Biotechnology has opened up enormous and exciting possibilities for plant breeding. The development of varieties with resistance or tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses or with new characteristics of interest to consumers, could make a substantial contribution to increasing productivity and alleviating poverty in a sustainable way. But, the reduction of publicly funded research and the growing concentration of biotechnological expertise in the private sector have aroused fears that the poorest segments of society will be neglected and will not share in the potential benefits that the new technologies could bring to their lives.