June 11, 2004

2 More Companies Banned From Selling Brazil Soybeans To China

The Chinese quarantine authority has temporarily banned two more companies from selling Brazilian soybeans to China after finding fungicide-tainted seeds in a cargo of beans from the South American country, said a statement on the government agency's Web site.

The seller of the contaminated cargo has been identified as Cargill International S/A, while the suppliers are Cargill Agricola S/A and Libero Trading S/A, said China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, or AQSIQ, in the statement.

The statement was dated May 28, but it was only posted on the Web site June 10.

"The cargo that arrived at Fujian province was found to have been contaminated by red fungicide-tainted seeds. Out of concern for consumer health, AQSIQ decided to temporarily ban Cargill International S/A and Libero Trading S/A from selling any Brazilian soybeans to China," said the statement.

The latest ban brings the number of blacklisted trading houses to a total of nine, since the quarantine authority imposed similar bans on seven other companies in mid-May on grounds of cargo contamination.

For any other soybean cargoes from these two companies that were shipped before May 28 and are en route to China, the quarantine authority will still allow them to enter the country provided the cargoes comply with quarantine rules, the statement said.

Those seven companies banned earlier are Louis Dreyfus Asia Pte., ADM do Brasil Ltda, Noble Grain Pte Ltd., Cargill Agricola S/A, Irmaos Trevisan S/A- Ind Com, E Agricultura and Bianchini S/A Industria.