China OKs Brazil GMO soybean imports

China approved the importation of genetically modified soybeans from Brazil, which should allow shipments to begin as early as Tuesday for the world's largest soybean importer, according to Brazil's Agriculture Ministry.

The Brazilian embassy in Beijing informed the ministry the Chinese government had accepted the GMO risk assessment submitted by Brazil's National Technical Biosafety Commission that guarantees there are no biosafety risks related to the GMO soybeans grown in Brazil.

"Starting next Tuesday, Brazilian exporters can use the document to satisfy the Chinese government's demand for a health certificate on genetically modified (soybeans)," the ministry said.

China is the world's and Brazil's largest importer of soybeans. The Asian giant accounted for 19.5 percent of the total sales of the Brazilian soybean industry in 2003, up from 15.8 percent in 2002.

Brazil, the world's No. 2 soybean producer after the United States, shipped 6.1 million tonnes of soybeans, worth US$1.3 billion in trade revenue, to China last year.