Ethiopia Banned This Grain for 9 Years to Protect Their People — Now the World Wants It

150 grains of this ancient seed equal the weight of one wheat grain—yet it powers Olympic champions and provides two-thirds of the protein for 60 million Ethiopians. For 3,000 years, it was the Horn of Africa's closely guarded nutritional secret. Then in 2003, a Dutch company tried to legally own the rights to process it. This is the story of teff—and the nine-year ban that saved it.
This video exposes how Ethiopia fought back against agricultural biopiracy when Western corporations tried to patent traditional knowledge and price locals out of their own staple food.

🔬 THE SCIENCE:
Teff (Eragrostis tef) contains 30% more iron than wheat, delivers complete protein with all essential amino acids, and remains naturally gluten-free. Domesticated between 4000-1000 BCE, it's one of humanity's oldest cultivated grains. Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie credited it as the "hidden secret" behind East African marathon dominance. One cup provides 82% daily iron and this is critical for endurance athletes.

💰 THE SUPPRESSION:
In 2003, Dutch company HPFI partnered with Ethiopia, then secretly patented teff's milling process - traditional methods used for millennia. Ethiopia received just €4,000 over five years while the company claimed European patent rights worth millions. Fearing the "quinoa effect" (where Peruvian locals were priced out after Western demand tripled prices), Ethiopia banned teff exports from 2006-2015. Meanwhile, U.S. farmers in Idaho and Nevada built a $1M+ industry while Ethiopians were legally blocked from European markets. The patent was finally defeated in Dutch court in 2019.

📚 SOURCES:
Wikipedia. (2025). Teff. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teff
ABS Canada. (2021). Teff Flour Patent Controversy Settled.
Addis Standard. (2019). Teffgate: A Dutchman's Conning of the Ethiopian State.

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