ASTA to further industry’s relationship with China

American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) reports:

Delegates from the American Seed Trade Association met with members of the China National Seed Association (CNSA) in Beijing, China, Sept. 26-67 as a follow up to meetings held earlier this year.

"Overall, this was a very timely set of meetings and demonstrates the cooperative spirit between the two countries and seed companies within," said Lisa Nichols, ASTA director of international programs, who served as one of the delegates.

Nichols explained that this trip helps set the stage for the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between ASTA and CNSA Dec. 3 in Chicago, Ill. This will coincide with the Corn, Sorghum and Soybean Seed Research Conference to be held Dec. 4-7 in Chicago, Ill.

Delegates discussed plant variety protection and intellectual property legislation in China and the potential benefits to trade in China.

"Every visit and every meeting is beneficial in our ability to identify opportunities for U.S. seed companies to conduct business in China," Nichols said. "We continue to build our knowledge of the business practices and regulatory framework in the market."

As part of the trip, delegates met with the director general of the Seed Administration Bureau, which is a part of the China Ministry of Agriculture, and toured the Seed Pavilion at the China Ag Trade Fair.

Company participants included DuPont Pioneer, HM. Clause, Bayer CropScience, CropLife China, Land O'Lakes, Monsanto Company and Syngenta.