March 31, 2014
US soy growers in talks with China on biotech approvals
US soy growers joined a delegation of producers from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay in China to talk for continued soy export expansion and speedy biotech approvals.
The group, collectively called the International Soy Growers Alliance, has met with soy exporters and organisations in China to discuss issues surrounding future export expansion and food security.
Currently, the US is exporting about 57% of the domestic soy crop overseas, with China consuming about 30%, North Dakota soy farmer Jared Hagert and American Soy Association President Ray Gaesser said during a press call.
Those tallies are expected to increase, the two said, noting expanded demand for oils and meat in Chinese diets.
While Chinese demand appears to be strong, one hang-up is a sluggish biotech approval process that has shut out new technologies like Dow''s Enlist system.
"The approval process, it has three windows of opportunity for comment from the Government. From what we have seen from the presentations, there has been some give and take there on the Enlist approval. But we would like to see it obviously move ahead so we can add another tool to our toolbox," Hagert said.
Gaesser noted that a considerable amount of time has been spent discussing the Chinese view on biotech approvals, boiling down to an overall positive response.
As China continues to focus on domestic supplies of rice, wheat and corn, US soyrepresentatives said China''s demand for the amount of soy needed to guarantee food security is an opportunity.