SmartStax gains import approval in Japan

INDIANAPOLIS and ST. LOUIS — Monsanto Company and Dow AgroSciences have received full Japanese regulatory approval for importation of grain produced from SmartStax.

Approved

The food, feed and environmental safety of SmartStax corn were each reviewed and approved by the government agencies in Japan.

These approvals follow U.S and Canadian regulatory approvals announced by the companies on July 20. With these approvals, SmartStax can be produced and planted in the United States and Canada and grain can be imported to Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

According to the USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service, Japan imports represent 20 percent of the world’s corn exports for the 2009 marketing year, or 640 million bushels.

SmartStax is the outcome of a cross-licensing agreement and research and development collaboration signed in 2007 between Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences.

Launch

Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences plan to launch SmartStax on 3 to 4 million-plus acres in 2010.

Monsanto will bring the corn product to market as Genuity SmartStax. Dow AgroSciences plans to offer SmartStax through its seed brands which include Mycogen, Dairyland, Renze, Brodbeck and Triumph.