CHINA TOPIX

11/02/2024 09:36:52 am

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China Approves Imports Of GMO Syngenta Corn, Pioneer Soy

GMO corn

(Photo : REUTERS/Thierry Roge) A Greenpeace activist displays signs symbolising genetically modified maize crops during a protest in front of the European Union headquarters in Brussels November 24, 2008.

Seed maker Syngenta announced earlier this week that after a five year-review, China has finally agreed to import a type of genetically modified orcganism (GMO) corn despite a number of lawsuits involving U.S. grain shipments.

Meanwhile, an agreement between China and Pioneer, a company responsible for the production of genetically modified soy, has also been closed.

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Being the largest soybean importer and a country where the corn market grows fast, China cleared the arrival of different soybean types from DuPont Pioneer and corn from Syngenta. This confirms the last of three expected approvals of GMO crops from different seed companies that are allowed to enter the country.

Beijing, on the other hand was not too quick to approve GMO products before due to the growing demand from consumers who are going against this type of food in China. The country also had to deal with the problem seen by some government officials in its tendency to be dependent on this kind of food supplies from the U.S.

The delay of the country's approval has affected the global corn trading in a negative way in the past year and it also made seed companies doubt about the future of their progress, thinking it would include a large amount of investments for the research of GMO seeds, which could take up to a decade and about US$150 million for its development.

This action has been confirmed that Pioneer spokeswoman Jane Slusark made a remark on China's regulatory system, saying that it is positive that they are seeing movement.

Syngenta's corn has been under strict examination beginning late 2013 when China started to spurn corn shipments from the U.S. after finding out traces of MIR 162, an the unapproved strain for GMO products. The said strain was traced back to the U.S., as it was approved there in 2010 but China had no import approval on it that time.

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