By Tom Polansek, Reuters
Dec 17 (Reuters) – A top Chinese government official said the country has approved imports of genetically modified Agrisure Viptera corn and two varieties of biotech soybeans, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Wednesday.
Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang said imports of Viptera corn, known as MIR 162, had been approved by China's Ministry of Agriculture, Vilsack told reporters at a U.S.-China trade forum in Chicago. The ministry also approved imports of biotech soybeans developed by DuPont Pioneer and Bayer CropScience, he added. Vilsack said he did not know the names of the soybean varieties.
Approval of MIR 162 corn is significant because U.S. corn trading with China has essentially shut down since Beijing began turning away cargoes containing the Syngenta AG strain in November 2013. It was approved for planting in the United States but not for import by China.
Commodities traders Cargill Inc and Archer Daniels Midland Co, along with dozens of farmers, have sued Syngenta, claiming hundreds of millions of dollars in damages from the trade disruptions in China.
CLICK HERE to read the full article
Source: Reuters
Posted by Jami Howell
