By Dominique Patton and Niu Shuping
BEIJING, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Swiss-based seed firm Syngenta had applied for cultivation approval for its MIR162 GMO corn in China, but later halted the process to focus on winning import approval for the grain, a company spokesman told Reuters.
Syngenta is being sued by trader Cargill and others for failing to win approval for its Viptera GMO corn, known as MIR162, in major market China before selling the seed to farmers in the United States.
Cargill alleges that Syngenta's application for cultivation approval as well as import approval may have subjected Viptera to more intensive regulatory scrutiny and a lengthier approval process by the Chinese government.
"Syngenta followed common industry practice and initially applied for cultivation approval of MIR162 in China; however, we later stopped this work to focus solely on the import application," spokesman Paul Minehart said in an email.
(Reporting By Dominique Patton)