China OKs Monsanto GMO corn variety - US Ag Secc
Mon Jul 11, 2005
BEIJING, July 11 (Reuters) - China's Ministry of Agriculture has approved for import genetically modified corn developed by Monsanto (MON.N: Quote, Profile, Research), opening the door for smooth imports of corn from the United States, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said on Monday.
"China has completed regulatory approval of a corn biotech variety, the final of a series of approvals for U.S. biotech varieties," the US Department of Agriculture said in a statement from Beijing.
The variety in question was NK603, Johanns told reporters.
China currently exports corn. It is expected to become a net importer as the country's grain consumption rises along with higher incomes, while land previously used for growing corn is turned to more profitable uses.
NK603 is a Roundup Ready maize type, developed by Monsanto to resist the herbicide glysophate. It allows farmers to use the Roundup weedkiller -- also developed by Monsanto -- without damaging their corn crop.
China had already approved seven of the eight genetically modified corn varieties common in the United States, an industry official told Reuters.
"But because they are co-mingled failure to approve any one would prevent imports of corn," he told Reuters on Monday.
"A potential obstacle [to imports of U.S. corn] has been eliminated."
China is expected to consume 120 million tonnes of corn in 2005. It exported three million tonnes in the first five months of the year, and is expected to export at least three million tonnes more this year.
China had previously issued safety certificates for some of Monsanto's genetically modified lines of soybeans, cotton, corn and canola.
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