Articles in this document:

· China to grow modified corn, soybeans, analyst says

· China OK's Import of Roundup Ready 2 Yield Soybeans

China to grow modified corn, soybeans, analyst says

By William Bi, Feiwen Rong

Source: Bloomberg

September 5, 2008

CheckBiotech

China, the world's biggest grain consumer, plans to grow genetically modified corn and soybeans for the first time starting next year, the country's largest independent agricultural researcher said.

The country now has the technology and is ready to use it to create "sustainable growth'' in farming incomes and boost grain output, Hanver Li, managing director of Shanghai JC Intelligence Co., said in an interview at a forum in Chengdu.

China, the most populous country and the top user of edible oil made from soybeans, is seeking to boost domestic food supplies as rising incomes drive consumption and shortages of water and farmland crimp output. Increasing use of GM varieties may help companies such as Monsanto Co., the world's biggest seed producer, capture market share.

"There is pressure to develop biotechnology to raise grains output because of its increased use in food, feed, and even alternative energy,'' Ma Wenfeng, Beijing Orient Agribusiness Consultant Ltd., said today by phone from Beijing.

Record prices for corn, soybeans, wheat and rice this year because of increased demand for food and biofuel sparked riots from Haiti to Egypt and spurred political leaders to talk of a global food crisis. Genetically modified, or GM, crops may boost yields and help solve the issue, analysts say.

Slow Approval

Ma hadn't heard the government would permit commercial cultivation of genetically modified corn and soybeans. "Big- scale cultivation takes time and I think small-scale expansion or experiment is more likely,'' Ma said.

Until now, the Chinese government has slowed approvals of genetically altered seeds because of safety concerns and the risk that it would weaken controls on imported grain.

"The government has done all the preparations,'' Li said, citing his contacts with state officials. China currently allows imports of genetically modified corn and soybeans.

The Ministry of Agriculture's GMO Safety Regulation Office declined immediate comment when contacted by telephone.

GM crops contain a gene from another organism, giving the plants characteristics such as resistance to herbicides and the ability to produce their own toxins to kill pests. Critics say there may be health and environmental consequences over time.

Monsanto, the biggest producer of GM varieties, has argued the food crisis may be solved as higher-yielding GM crops become available for farmers. China yesterday approved Monsanto's higher-yielding Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans for food and feed use, Monsanto said in a statement on its Web site.

Food Supplies

Ensuring China's people have enough to eat has become a top priority of the government, which on July 10 said it will speed up development of genetically modified technology, develop home- grown biotechnology by creating new strains and seeds resistant to herbicides, insects and diseases, while producing high yields.

Xi Yinsheng, researcher at the Center for Rural Economy at the Ministry of Agriculture, said he hadn't heard the government was going to allow commercial cultivation of genetically modified corn or soybean seeds.

"Still, I cannot rule out such a possibility at this stage either,'' Xi said by phone from Beijing. "There is some experimental planting on a small scale and many domestic seed companies have been studying the technology for a long time.''

China has already invested heavily in biotechnology, and first approved use of engineered cotton seeds in 1997, Huang Jikun, director of the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy, said in February. Engineered plants approved by China include cotton, petunia, tomato, sweet pepper, poplar trees and papaya.

Source: Bloomberg

greenbio.checkbiotech.org

China OK's Import of Roundup Ready 2 Yield Soybeans

USAgNet - 09/05/2008

Monsanto Company announced it has received regulatory approval in China for the importation of Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans. China imports accounted for approximately 38 percent of U.S. soybean exports in 2007, making it the largest purchaser of U.S. soybeans. This approval is a significant step forward in the commercialization of this highly-anticipated soybean technology.

Roundup Ready 2 Yield is the only second-generation biotechnology trait in soybeans to achieve regulatory approvals in the United States and key export markets like China, propelling it to be first to market with 2009 commercial sales. It is also the first in a series of game-changing technology platforms Monsanto is poised to launch for soybeans, corn and cotton.

"Farmer excitement around Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans is building and China regulatory approval demonstrates the acceptance of this product on a global level," said Brett Begemann, Monsanto's executive vice president of global commercial business. "Monsanto spoke with tens of thousands of farmers at the Farm Progress Show in Iowa last week and at numerous other field days around the Midwest this summer, and the biggest thing we've heard is they need more yield from soybeans. We're proud we will be able to deliver the first step-change in yield through our Roundup Ready 2 Yield technology and that the launch of this product is right around the corner."

Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans are the second generation of the popular Roundup Ready technology farmers have used in soybeans since 1996. This product offers the same effective weed control, simplicity and flexibility benefits of the Roundup Ready system and it significantly increases soybean yield potential.

In four years of testing, Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans have demonstrated a consistent yield advantage of 7 to 11 percent over Roundup Ready soybeans. The four-year average yield increase of Roundup Ready 2 Yield over its first-generation counterpart was 9 percent.

usagnet.com