Syngenta Expects Chinese Approval for Viptera Corn In Near Future

Syngenta AG expects China soon will approve imports of a controversial strain of biotech corn that has sparked lawsuits from grain traders and farmers blaming the seed maker for losses because of shipments rejected by Beijing, China.

"We expect to be granted Chinese approval of Agrisure Viptera (MIR 162) in the near future and will make an announcement when we receive the official documentation, as is our standard practice," a Syngenta spokesman said, referring to the corn strain.

Syngenta submitted the corn for Chinese for regulatory review in 2010. Earlier this year Syngenta gave additional information to Chinese regulators regarding the corn.

Representatives of China's embassy in Washington, D.C. and its consulate in Chicago didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

Late last year, China began rejecting cargos of American corn, after tests found the strain mixed in with corn shipments. Syngenta had been selling the strain in the U.S. since 2011 after receiving regulatory approval.

Grain companies including Cargill Inc. and Archer Daniels Midland Co. have sued Syngenta over what the companies say were tens of millions of dollars in lost sales. Farmers also have filed around 180 separate lawsuits against Syngenta, arguing that China's rejections depressed the price of corn.