St. Louis, Missouri
June 22, 2009
Product will offer farmers
latest yield enhancing technology with Roundup Ready 2 Yield
along with an in-seed option to further combat yield robbing
insects
Monsanto Company (NYSE:
MON) announced today that it has completed regulatory submission
in Brazil for its insect-protected Roundup Ready 2 Yield™
soybeans. The stacked trait product provides both protection
from feeding damage caused by lepidopteran insect pests in
Brazil and tolerance to Roundup® agricultural herbicides. This
is the first biotech insect-protected product in soybeans and
Monsanto's first biotech product targeted primarily at a market
outside the United States.
The company expects to commercialize Bt Roundup Ready 2 Yield ™
soybeans in Brazil in the early to middle part of the next
decade pending global regulatory approvals. Submissions to the
U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration have also been completed. Submissions to the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and key import markets will
occur over the next several months.
"We expect this product to provide a step change for Brazilian
soybean farmers by protecting against insects that cause
significant economic loss combined with the increased yield
provided by the Roundup Ready 2 Yield trait, which was
introduced commercially this year in the United States," said
Roy Fuchs, oilseed technology lead for Monsanto. "Better insect
control can help reduce pesticide applications and offer farmers
yield protection, thus helping agriculture meet the food, fuel
and fiber needs of a growing population."
Bt Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans are in Phase 3 of development,
which includes trait integration, field testing and regulatory
data generation. Insect-protected soybeans use the same Bt
technology widely adopted in corn and cotton to control
lepidopteran insect pests. The benefit from better insect
protection will further add value to the increased yield
provided by Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans.
Currently, farmers in key soybean growing regions of the U.S. do
not consistently face insect-pressure from lepidopteran pests.
This product is a high-impact technology in Monsanto's R&D
pipeline with a projected value in 2020 to be $300 million-$500
million. This product represents the first of several
technologies the company plans to offer farmers in other world
areas - all aimed at helping to address the needs of farmers in
their geography.
Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of
technology-based solutions and agricultural products that
improve farm productivity and food quality. Monsanto remains
focused on enabling both small-holder and large-scale farmers to
produce more from their land while conserving more of our
world's natural resources such as water and energy.
Roundup and Roundup Ready 2 Yield are registered trademarks
of Monsanto Company. |
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