www.checkbiotech.org ; www.raupp.info ; www.czu.cz

A new genetically modified corn is to become available in the US, after the
variety was approved by the nation?s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
January 2007.

Developed by Swiss biotech firm Syngenta, the variety is the stacked
combination of the firm's new corn rootworm trait with its European corn
borer trait.

The approval also allows Syngenta to launch its triple stacked corn that
includes glyphosate tolerance.

The double stack, AgrisureTM CB/RW, will be available in limited quantities
for the 2007 growing season and the triple stack, Agrisure GT/CB/RW will be
available for 2008, said the firm.

?The approval of the stacked insect traits marks another milestone in our
strategy to offer a highly competitive portfolio of proprietary biotech
products to growers in the world's largest corn market,? said Mike Mack,
chief operating officer of Syngenta Seeds.

?As we scale up hybrid production over the next two seasons, this will
enable Syngenta to drive growth and market share into the next decade,? he
added.

The registration follows the first EPA approval for the corn rootworm
resistant trait in October 2006.

Syngenta said it also plans to offer the single and stacked traits for use
in other leading seed brands through its GreenLeaf Genetics joint venture.
The firm expects US Department of Agriculture (USDA) authorization to ship
the double stack trait for the 2007 growing season.

The third largest business in the high-value commercial seeds market,
Syngenta reported sales in 2005 of approximately $8.1 billion.

In October last year Group sales in the third quarter of 2006 increased by 1
per cent to $1.41bn, though at constant exchange rates (CER), sales were
unchanged.

The company said earlier this year that Western European markets were
affected by a late start to the season, which reduced cereal fungicide usage
and by the progressive implementation of subsidy reform.

But the company, which also reported overall decreased sales for the first
half of the year, is confident that growth will come on the back of newly
launched products.

For the first nine months, sales of new products rose 20 per cent to $784
million. In the quarter, fungicides sales were higher following an inventory
adjustment in the USA in 2005, though lower sales of selective herbicides
reflected timing differences between the last two quarters.

[www.foodnavigator-usa.com]