September 8, 2008

Monsanto Company announced it has received regulatory approval in China for the importation of Roundup Ready 2 Yield(TM) soy.

China imports account for approximately 38 percent of US soy exports in 2007, making it the largest purchaser of US soy. The approval is a significant step forward in the commercialization of this highly-anticipated soy technology, the company said. 

Roundup Ready 2 Yield is the only second-generation biotechnology trait in soy to achieve regulatory approvals in the US 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 that Monsanto is launching for soy, corn and cotton.

Roundup Ready 2 Yield soy is the successor of the Roundup Ready(R) technology farmers have used in soy since 1996. This product offers the same effective weed control, simplicity and flexibility benefits of the Roundup Ready system and it significantly increases soy yield potential, the company said. 

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

Monsanto's Roundup Ready 2 Yield soy will be introduced on 1 to 2 million acres for the 2009 season as part of a controlled commercial release, followed by a large-scale product launch of five to six million acres scheduled for 2010.

Roundup Ready 2 Yield soy have been approved as safe for food and feed in nine countries and regions -- the United States, Canada, Mexico, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand and China. These countries import more than 70 percent of US soy.

In addition to the approvals, Monsanto recently announced the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued a positive scientific opinion concluding Roundup Ready 2 Yield is safe for import as food and feed.