March 4, 2011

South Korea approves Syngenta's Agrisure stacked-GM corn

South Korea's regulatory authorities have given Syngenta Seeds, Inc. import approval for hybrids containing the Agrisure Viptera 3111 trait stack.

The Agrisure Viptera 3111 trait stack merges the Agrisure Viptera trait with the Agrisure 3000GT trait stack to obtain control of 14 above-and below-ground corn pests, more than any other commercially available product in corn trait history.

This approval permits the shipping of US corn grown from hybrids containing the trait stack into South Korea for food, feed or processing use. South Korean authorities previously approved the single Agrisure Viptera trait in October 2010.

"Import approval from South Korea provides US corn growers access to yet another valuable market," said David Morgan, president of Syngenta Seeds.

"With corn prices expected to remain at near-record levels this year, the advantages of growers enjoying more yield from the same number of acres are plain to see," he added.

Corn hybrids with the Agrisure Viptera 3111 trait stack have an in-seed defense against the multi-pest complex, which includes corn earworm, fall armyworm, Western bean cutworm, black cutworm, dingy cutworm, stalk borer and sugarcane borer.

Syngenta forecasts damage from these pests cost US corn growers 238 million bushels of corn and US$1.1 billion in annual yield and grain quality losses.

The Agrisure Viptera trait is approved for cultivation in the US, Canada and Brazil, and is approved for import into Australia, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, New Zealand and South Korea.