Biotech Updates

New Biotech Cotton Event Approved in Argentina

February 20, 2019

Secretary Luis Miguel Etchevehere of the Government of Agribusiness of the Nation in Argentina announced last  February 6, 2019 that they have authorized a new biotech cotton event. The announcement was made during the meeting of the Table of Competitiveness of the Cotton Chain.

The new GM cotton event, which is already approved in Brazil, is tolerant to HPPD inhibiting herbicides (isoxaflutole and mesotrione), and glyphosate herbicide. It will allow farmers to have better control of herbicide resistant weeds because it allows them to alternate between herbicides with different mode of action. BASF will commercialize the new trait.

Secretary Etchevehere also emphasized the number of approvals that the current Argentine government has granted in the last 14 months. 12 events, which comprises 35% of all Argentina's biotech crop approvals, were made by the current administration. He said that this is the government's response to the delay on the need to integrate genetics and biotechnology into crops.

See Agroindustria's press release for more details.