Syngenta Sees China Approving Contentious GMO Corn Soon
December 15, 2014 Syngenta AG expects to win Chinese government approval soon for imports of a type of genetically modified corn at the center of lawsuits over U.S. grain shipments rejected by Beijing, a company spokesman said on Friday.
Syngenta, one of the world’s largest seed companies, will make an announcement when it receives official documentation from China that Agrisure Viptera corn, known as MIR 162, has been cleared for import, spokesman Paul Minehart said. He declined further comment.
Approval would be significant because U.S. corn trading with China has essentially shut down since Beijing began turning away cargoes containing MIR 162 corn in November 2013. However, it was unclear whether Syngenta’s comment represented a breakthrough in the company’s four-year wait for approval or wishful thinking.
The U.S. Grains Council, which promotes exports, said it hoped for confirmation of approval in the coming days.
Beijing might have a new incentive to accept MIR 162 corn from the United States because rival exporter Ukraine is struggling to honor grain contracts signed with China because of a shortage, traders said.
Read the full story by Tom Polansek on Reuters.com.
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