NewsFood.com

ST LOUIS -- Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) announced today that it has received final regulatory approval in Japan, the Philippines and Taiwan for its second-generation soybean technology, Roundup Ready 2 Yield(TM) (MON 89788), these approvals represent significant progress toward the commercialization of this new higher-yielding soybean technology.

«Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans are poised to deliver a new yield advantage to U.S. farmers and pave the way for the development of stacked-trait offerings in this oilseed crop,» said Robert T. Fraley, Ph.D., chief technology officer and executive vice president of Monsanto Company. «Importantly, this new soybean product is expected to offer farmers a novel way to get more yield out of a single acre of land, a critical step as farmers work to meet the growing food and fuel demands of our world.»

Last July, Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans completed the regulatory process in both the United States and Canada. The product is currently under scientific review by the European Food Safety Authority as well as regulatory authorities in China and other key export markets.

Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans represent the second-generation of the company's popular Roundup Ready technology. Four years of field comparisons have demonstrated that Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans deliver a yield advantage of 7 percent to 11 percent over the first-generation Roundup Ready offering.

Monsanto is planning a controlled commercial release of Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans on 1 to 2 million acres in 2009. Monsanto is working closely with the soybean industry to accomplish this controlled release, which will allow farmers in select geographies to experience the benefit of the product prior to the full launch. The company is planning a full-scale launch of 5 to 6 million acres in 2010.

Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans will serve as the primary platform for Monsanto's introduction of new soybean trait technologies, including higher yield, expanded herbicide tolerance and enhanced oil products. Monsanto expects Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans could serve as the platform for up to five new stacked trait offerings in soybeans by 2012.