Brazil to export corn to China this year

SAO PAULO, July 13 (Reuters): Brazil may start exporting corn to China before the end of this year, Cesario Ramalho, the head of institutional affairs at corn farmer group Abramilho, said on Tuesday.
Ramalho, speaking at a news conference, said the timeline was provided by Agriculture Ministry officials, who are in talks with China about the acceptance of certain types of transgenic corn cultivated in the South American country.
Brazilian and Chinese authorities concluded negotiations to update the protocol for exports of Brazilian corn to China, the ministry said in a statement to Reuters.
"The technical teams from both countries have been in talks with the aim of concluding the technical procedures that will allow the start of exports," the ministry said, without elaborating.
In May, China's customs authorities said they had finalized an agreement to allow imports of Brazilian corn, lining up an alternative to US corn to replace imports from Ukraine.
But shipments have not begun, as talks are ongoing for China to approve certain types of transgenic corn that Brazilian farmers already plant with authorization from Brazilian biosecurity agency CTNBio, Ramalho told the briefing.