US hopes for GMO crop cultivation in China still alive, barely

CHICAGO: Nov 10 (Reuters): DuPont Pioneer, one of the world's largest seed companies, is refusing to give up on efforts to cultivate genetically modified crops in Chinese fields in the face of regulatory hurdles, even as rivals pull back.

The Iowa-based agricultural seed and chemical unit of DuPont this autumn harvested its first test crops of GMO corn in China in six years after lengthy efforts to win government approval for the new field trials.

The company is pressing ahead while Monsanto Co is retreating from efforts to grow GMO crops in China amid mounting frustrations within the U.S. seed industry about Beijing's slow regulatory processes.

Industry leaders say they are focusing on winning Chinese clearance for imports of new genetically engineered crops rather than for cultivation approval.