June 25, 2004

 

 

Argentina Set To Approve Roundup Ready Corn

 

Argentina's government on Thursday indicated it will soon allow farmers to plant and produce a new type of genetically-modified corn.

 

After years of studying the implications of using Roundup Ready corn seeds, Agriculture Secretariat officials now say it is time for the country to move ahead and approve use of the seed to boost production.

 

"We are in the final stages (of approving this)," said Agriculture Secretary Miguel Campos during a speech at Corn World, a two-day conference that opened here Thursday.

 

The European Union's six-year-old moratorium on importing new genetically modified products is one reason that Argentina has delayed approval of Roundup Ready seeds.

 

But Campos said Argentina should not deprive itself of the benefits of genetically modified seeds because some people question their safety.

 

"We want to give clear signals that show our country is betting strongly on biotechnology," Campos said. "We have to begin to define biotech policy ourselves and not let it be defined by moratoriums. We should not allow ourselves to be scared by supposed non-tariff barriers."

 

Argentina is the world's No. 2 user of genetically altered seeds. Slightly under 50% of its corn crop is currently grown using an older kind of genetic technology, one that is accepted under the E.U. moratorium. Moreover, around 95% of the Argentina's soybeans are genetically modified.

 

Argentina, the world's No. 2 exporter of corn and the No. 3 soybean exporter, has long challenged the E.U. to drop its moratorium on products grown from genetically modified seeds.

 

Since October 1998, the E.U. has not approved the use or import of any new biotech products. This is relevant to Argentina because a number of E.U. members are big buyers of local corn and corn byproducts.

 

So far this year, for instance, Portugal and Spain have combined to import 875,000 metric tons of 2003-04 corn. The United Kingdom has imported another 120,000 tons.

 

Despite recent attempts to lift the E.U.'s ban on new biotechnologies, it is unclear how long the moratorium will last.

 

Neverthlessl, Argentine officials want to approve Roundup Ready seeds as the country seeks to increase the production and exportation of agriculture goods.

 

"It is highly probable that this will be approved by the next campaign," which begins in September, said a source at the Secretariat.

 

Argentine farmers are finishing up collection of the 2003-04 corn harvest, which is estimated to total about 12.4 million metric tons.

 

Farmers will begin to plant the 2004-05 crop in September.