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AMERICAN CORN
GROWERS FOUNDATION RAISES CONCERNS ABOUT LOST CORN GLUTEN MARKET
LOW CORN PRICES DUE TO BIOTECH BLUNDERING
Washington, D.C., May 9, 2005—The
American Corn Growers Foundation (ACGF) and the American Corn
Growers Association (ACGA) are warning U.S. corn farmers that
key U.S. corn gluten exports are being lost due to unapproved
biotech, specifically GMO (genetically modified organisms)
varieties that are unacceptable in various markets.
 “Blundering biotech companies and their
arrogance toward world buyers and consumers cost the U.S. the
valuable, cash paying European Union (EU-25) corn market since
1996, and caused substantial corn export reductions to Japan.
Now, adding insult to economic injury, some biotech companies
and their carelessness is putting the EU-25 import market for
U.S. corn gluten feed and meal in serious jeopardy, with the
EU-25 now testing every cargo,” says Dan McGuire, CEO of the
American Corn Growers Foundation and project director of the
ACGF Farmer Choice-Customer First program. “Foreign demand for
U.S. corn gluten is extremely important for the economic future
of corn processing ethanol plants. The EU bought 5 million
metric tons (MMT) with an export value of $403,726,000 as
recently as the 1999-00 marketing year. But in the most recent
2004 marketing year, the EU-25’s imports of US corn gluten had
dropped to 3.6 MMT with a value of only $377,636,000. In the
current 2005 marketing year (September through February) EU-25
imports are only 1.2 MMT compared to 1.9 MMT the year earlier,”
added McGuire.
“Last Friday corn prices were only
$1.63 per bu. in both Utica, S.D. and Wayne, Neb., a disastrous
price, due largely to the failure of the current ‘export
oriented’ farm policy to deliver on corn exports as promised,”
said Larry Mitchell, ACGA CEO. “If the crafters of the current
U.S. farm policy still believe it is ‘export oriented’ they
should require the biotech companies to get onboard. Biotech
arrogance is losing U.S. exports. Maybe those same biotech
companies should be sent the bill for lost corn markets, low
corn prices and the resulting high cost of the farm program.” |