Report: China Approves Viptera Corn, U.S. Officials Await Confirmation
December 17, 2014 
Chuck Lee, head of corn – North America, Syngenta, discusses issues with Chinese import approvals regarding Syngenta’s Agrisure Viptera corn during the 2014 Syngenta Media Summit in Washington, D.C.
Chinese authorities have informed some agriculture industry officials the government has approved U.S. imports of a type of genetically modified corn developed by Syngenta AG, according to reports from Agri-Pulse and Bloomberg.
However, three sources at large Chinese importers told Reuters they had not received notice about an impending approval, instead suggesting a sudden big order of U.S. distillers grains, a corn by product, had fueled expectations of a breakthrough.
The sources said that even though China’s bio-safety committee had cleared the strain from a food safety standpoint, the agriculture ministry needed to give its stamp of approval.
“The final decision will probably come in January or February next year,” said one of the trading sources at a state-owned trading firm.
China’s Agriculture Ministry declined to comment and a Syngenta spokesman said in an email the firm would make an announcement on the import approval of Agrisure Viptera corn, known as MIR 162, when it receives official documentation.
Syngenta said on Friday it was expecting China to clear imports soon.
Go here to read the full report from Reuters Africa.
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