April 11, 2003

Swiss crop giant Syngenta AG said that it does not expect to market genetically modified wheat for at least five years, reports Reuters.

"That is the minimum - that's how long it would take to have something that is seen to work in practice," Chairman Heinz Imhof told Reuters.

The idea of growing genetically modified wheat is highly controversial because it is widely consumed directly by humans. Corn and soybeans, both of which have GM versions already on the market, are used mainly in animal feed, writes Reuters.

Many U.S. and Canadian farmers have called for a moratorium on the introduction of GM wheat amid fears of trans-crop contamination and worries about finding a market for the grain. Millers and food companies have also expressed deep reservations, fearing that consumers will reject it.

Imhof, whose company's GM wheat has been bred to be resistant to the fungus fusarium, acknowledged it would be a long haul to prove the technology and then win round farmers, processors and consumers, initially in North America.

Monsanto, meanwhile, has already made its final submissions for regulatory approval of its herbicide resistant GM wheat in the U.S. and Canada, according to Reuters.

After earlier rows over GM foods, which have left Europe a "no-go" area for the technology, both companies have pledged to ensure widespread market acceptance prior to launch.

"Our approach is not to push the technology, in fact quite the opposite. We would like to make sure that first people perceive the need for a particular gene," Imhof said during the Biovision life sciences conference in Lyon.

"We are at the beginning of a long project... but I'm optimistic long term. I think there is no doubt that common sense will prevail and people will realize that biotechnologies are in fact very good technologies to protect the environment and to produce healthier products."

Earlier this week, the British government approved a new field trial of Syngenta 's GM wheat. The company is also planning similar trials in Germany and France, but Imhof said the U.S. and Canada were the prime focus of the research project, reports Reuters.