The Chinese government has issued long-awaited authorization of Corteva’s Optimum GLY canola trait for both food and feed imports as of January 13, 2023.
The trait, which provides tolerance for a wider application window and higher rate of glyphosate in canola, has already been approved in 12 geographies, including the European Union last year. Canadian regulators approved the trait back in 2012.
Chinese approval was seen as the final barrier, preventing the company from introducing Optimum GLY to the North American market for several years.
“We are aware that the China Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) published the biosafety authorization for Optimum GLY Canola for food and feed import on its website on January 13, 2023, and we look forward to receiving the official safety certificate,” Corteva spokesperson Kris Allen tells RealAgriculture.
It’s expected Optimum GLY will be available soon through Corteva’s Pioneer and Brevant brands, however it’s not yet confirmed if the launch will happen for 2023 seeding.
Jeff Loessin, seed marketing leader at Corteva, told RealAgriculture earlier this month that seed supplies are positioned to be available soon after approval. “We’ve got plans to make the launch as quickly as we can and bring the technology forward to western Canadian farmers. (Optimum GLY) really does have some technical opportunities; it’s a valuable weed control system. And the genetics that we’ve got with this trait are some of our leading hybrids,” Loessin says. “We’ve had enough time to work with this trait that we’ve got it into the right spots from a germplasm, standpoint. When it does come out, its performance will be positive for western Canadian farmers, which is the important part.”
Corteva currently has a licensing agreement with Bayer for its glyphosate-tolerance trait, but it is set to expire at the end of 2023.
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