CHINESE authorities have informed some agriculture industry officials that the government has approved U.S. imports of a type of genetically modified corn that has sparked lawsuits against seed maker Syngenta AG, according to reports from Agri-Pulse and Bloomberg.

    Syngenta will make an announcement about Chinese government approval of Agrisure Viptera corn, known as MIR 162, when the company receives official documentation, a spokesman said in an email. The company said Friday it was expecting China to clear imports soon.

    Traders are watching the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade in Chicago for news about MIR 162 approval.

    China has rejected shipments of more than 1 million tons of U.S. crops in the past year because they contained traces of MIR 162 corn.

    Global grain handlers Cargill Inc. and Archer Daniels Midland Co., along with dozens of U.S. farmers, have sued Syngenta for damages from the rejections. They claim the seed company misled the farm industry about the timeline for approval by China, a major importer.

    However, according to a Reuters report late Tuesday, the United States has not received official notification from China of approval for the imports.

    Despite molding corn stocks and unreliable alternate suppliers, China is not expected to immediately revive U.S. corn imports following the expected approval of the biotech variety responsible for a year-long halt to shipments.

    U.S. corn prices hit five-month peaks this week, partly on reports that Chinese approval of Syngenta’s Agricure Viptera corn could come in the near future and that this could also help sales of dried distiller’s grains (DDGs), a corn-based animal feed, into their biggest market.

    Historically a net corn exporter, China turned net importer in 2009. At the peak in 2012, China imported more than 5.3 million tons of U.S. corn, making it the third-largest market.(SD-Agencies)