August 24, 2005

Argentina approves new Syngenta GM corn

Argentina recently approved a new GM corn, GA21, developed by Swiss maker Syngenta. The corn was developed to be resistant to the herbicide, glyphosate, similar to Roundup Ready corn developed by rival biotech giant Monsanto.

Argentine farmers were expected to seed between 3.0 million and 3.1 million hectares of corn this season, down from 3.32 million hectares during 2004-05, as GM soybeans were cheaper and easier to grow, according to the country's government.

However, the government wanted to encourage farmers to plant corn, which was crucial for replenishing soil nutrients. It also hoped that through biotechnology, corn costs similar to soybean costs could be achieved, thus allowing sustainable crop rotations.

Meanwhile, the country was still awaiting approval for a Monsanto GM corn that was both insect and glyphosate resistant. However, the conflict between the government and Monsanto over GM soybean royalties has made approval for this GM corn uncertain.