Brazil approves GM seeds

Weekly Times - Australia

September 28, 2008

BRAZIL will plant two new varieties of genetically-modified corn seeds.

The National Bio-safety Commission has given the green light for the seeds, which farm experts hope will be a boost the industry.

Brazil now has five types of GM corn seeds approved.

The country plants two corn harvests a year, the first between September and December, the second between December and January.

This season will see six million hectares of corn planted.

Medard Schoemaeckers, head of media relations for Syngenta in Europe, the company that pioneered GM technology for Brazil said the country was behind other countries such as the US and Argentina.

Syngenta expects Brazil's entire range of seeds to be GMO by 2012, despite the issue still being controversial throughout the country.

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