Brazil-Green light for GM crops.

BRAZIL.

G.M. CROPS.

Brazil’s National Bio-safety Commission, has given the green light for two new varieties of genetically modified corn seeds, which will be a boost the industry according to farm experts. These two new types, will now join the three types of GM corn seeds approved by Brazil in 2007.

Brazil plants two corn harvests a year, the first between September and December, the second is planted between December and January.

Brazil will be planting 6 million hectares of corn, for the 2009 season.

Medard Schoenmaeckers, head of media relations for Syngenta in Europe, who have pioneered the technology for Brazil,said "Brazil is still behind other countries such as the US and Argentina, where the use of GM corn has been faster and where Syngenta expects its entire range of seeds to shift to GMO by 2012".

The matter of genetically modified seeds in Brazil, is still controversial, owing to publicity about Frankenstein foods etc.