Brasília, Brazil
May 13, 2004
Agência Brasil
On the eve of an official visit by
president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, China has suspended imports
of soybeans from four large Brazilian suppliers, Noble, Cargill,
Irmãos Trevisan S/A e Bianchini S/A, claiming that they have
found seeds contaminated by chemicals in a soybean shipment
which arrived in China on April 18. According to Chinese
authorities, the presence of chemically-treated seeds mixed with
soybeans is an infraction of mutually agreed upon quality
standards.
At the moment, China is the world's biggest importer of
soybeans, importing billions of dollars of the product from
Brazil, Argentina and the United States.
Brazilian authorities received notice of the problem at the end
of April and have tightened sanitation oversight of soybean
shipments. The chemically-treated seeds are used for planting
and are improper for human consumption. Brazilian officials are
investigating to determine how the seeds were mixed with
soybeans. |
