© 2024 KMUW
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Senators Urge Biotech Talks With China

liz west, flickr Creative Commons

During the Chinese President's tour of the U.S. last week, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran said he wanted to make it easier for Midwest farmers to export their crops to China. As Harvest Public Media’s Jeremy Bernfeld reports, genetically modified crops have been a sticking point in the past.

A bipartisan list of 42 U.S. Senators sent a letter to President Obama urging him to discuss the approval of biotech crops with Chinese President Shee-Jin-Ping.

China is one of the most important markets for U.S. farmers. But regulators there have rejected shipments of U.S. corn because they contained genetically modified varieties they haven’t approved.

Many of the largest American farm organizations want the Obama Administration to pressure China to speed up its approval process and streamline trade.