From Press Release
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) joined a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to raise directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping concerns about China’s delays in approving agricultural biotech products.
President Xi will be meeting with President Obama yet this week. The U.S. is also hosting China in the inaugural U.S.-China Strategic Agricultural Innovation Dialogue, during which it’s expected agricultural biotech issues will be discussed.
The senators wrote, “It is our understanding that there is a growing queue of biotechnology-derived crops under review within China’s Ministry of Agriculture, creating additional regulatory uncertainty, and undermining commitments made last year to bolster science-based agricultural innovation and trade…We ask that you seek a commitment from President Xi to move forward with the queue of biotechnology products, including those awaiting final import approvals.”
Iowa is a leader in agricultural biotechnology. From innovative approaches to biofuels and agriculture technology to seed genetics and biosciences, the industry is seeing a high rate of growth in the state and is an important component of the state’s economy.
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