Both the National Grain & Feed Association and the North American Export Grain Association have written asking Syngenta to suspend commercial use in the U.S. of two strains of its corn containing the trait known as MIR162 which has not as of yet been approved in China. Viptera has been used in the U.S., Brazil, and Argentina for three years but the MIR162 corn has been waiting for approval from Beijing for over two years. The request comes after China refused shipments of 600,000 tons of U.S. corn found to have Syngenta’s MIR162 trait. Late in 2014 Syngenta is scheduled to release it Duracade strain of corn and the grain associations are concerned over the economic impact to U.S. exporters if China refuses further shipments. The underlying issue is one of a lack of synchronization between technological crop advances in exporting countries and regulatory processes and approval timelines in importing countries.
To receive relevant news stories with summaries provided by GAI Research & Insight, subscribe to Global AgDevelopments, our free bi-weekly enhanced eNews service