WASHINGTON, March 12, 2014-- Syngenta will not launch its Agrisure Duracade seed corn—designed to control rootworm damage—in Canada this year, although the company planned to market the product with a limited launch there as well as in the United States.
In an emailed statement, Syngenta said other areas of the U.S. and Canada will have access to the Agrisure Duracade technology in future years.
Because the seed trait is not approved some large markets, including China or the European Union, Syngenta said Canada will not be a part of the Duracade “Right to Grow” plan developed with Gavilon Grain, LLC, which is marketing the seed where it can ensure access to markets.
The company provided information for its launch of the product in the United States in 2014 during a March 4 meeting with the National Grain and Feed Association (NFGA) and North American Export Grain Association (NAEGA). Syngenta projects Agrisure Duracade to be planted on 250,000 to 300,000 acres this year within specified launch zones.
For its U.S. launch, Syngenta will require producers who buy and plant its Agrisure Duracade seed to sign a “Syngenta Stewardship Agreement.” The agreement says producers must feed the corn to livestock or poultry on their farm or deliver it to a grain handling facility, feed mill, feedlot or ethanol plant not exporting corn to China or the European Union—nations that have not granted approval for the product.
In November, China began rejecting shipments of corn that contained Agrisure Viptera, a trait developed by Syngenta to control damage from more than a dozen insects, including rootworm. Grain industry leaders are taking precautions to prevent additional retaliation as Syngenta releases its Duracade product, which has also not been approved by the Asian nation.
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