Naz News, Gappers and FLE's

[mcmike]

SEED conference call link

http://investor.shareholder.com/media/eventdetail.cfm?mediaid=30403&c=SEED&mediakey=F9B08A3A84AB6456DAA31F4746F88386&e=0

gross margin drop from selling old inventory at big discounts
minimal "scrap seed" sales of size are anticipated going forward
anticipated gross margins of 32-33% (may be conservative)
guiding profitability this year
[a confusing discussion of deferred revenue and it's relationships to "advances from customers"]
"2009 is going to be even better"
commercial approval Q re. GMO (genetic.mod.) seed
glad to hear Heartland Advisor manager (W. Nasgovitz) asking questions
R&D as % of sales estimated at 3-5% but with GMO could be 7%
commercial sales of GMO seeds expected in 2009
Alex Harbin (Toll Cross Securities) Q re. timelines for phases of commercialization of pest and herbicide resistant seeds A. usually takes 1 year/phase
R.James asks about multinational partnerships. A. "At this moment we just can't able[sic] any comment"

Phytase (GMO maize question)
"Origin's GMO Phytase corn is expected to be the one of the first transgenic maize approved and sold commercially into the domestic marketplace. Transgenic phytase maize is expected to be commercially launched in 2009. Phytase is currently used as an additive in animal feed to breakdown phytic acid in maize, increasing phosphorus absorption in animals by 60%. Phosphorus is an essential element for the growth and development of all animals, and plays key roles in skeletal structure and in vital metabolic pathways. Phytase, mandatory in several countries for environmental purposes, has a worldwide potential market size of US$500 million, including US$200 million for China alone, according to the China Feed Industry Study. The corn seed market in China is estimated at US$1 billion.

Phytase transgenic maize will allow animal feed producers the ability to eliminate purchasing phytase and maize separately, eliminate the need for mixing the two ingredients together, saving time, machinery, and labor. While currently microbiology is universally used to produce phytase, Origin plans to be the first to introduce transgenic phytase maize. Origin's GMO Phytase corn is expected to be one of the first transgenic maize approved and sold commercially into the domestic marketplace.

"Development of these biotechnology attributes remains a cornerstone of our business strategy and significant management resources and attention are dedicated to building these capabilities. Our agronomists also become a trusted source to educate farmers on the benefits of genetically modified products. Our high-end processing, production, and quality control will continue to ensure high-quality seed production. We remain optimistic on Chinese government's forthcoming decision on GM seeds in corn and plan to become the leader in biotechnology and GMO product commercialization in China," Dr Han commented."( http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/origin-agritech-limited-reports/n20080227163709990017 )
this seed "in many ways we are the only game in town, it's very efficient,it will help the farmers reduce costs"

transcript of recent Roth ConCall:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/27584-origin-agritech-roth-capital-conference-presentation-transcript?source=side_bar_transcripts&page=2

related news on China and agriculture:
Flooding, Food Shortages, Ethanol Boondoggle Good News for Agriculture
posted on: March 25, 2008
http://seekingalpha.com/article/69916-flooding-food-shortages-ethanol-boondoggle-good-news-for-agriculture?source=side_bar_long_ideas

link to news release Monday on GMO pipeline:
Origin Agritech Updates Genetically Modified Pipeline
Business Wire
Posted: 2008-03-24 08:30:32
http://money.aol.com/news/articles/qp/pr/_a/origin-agritech-updates-genetically/rfid84888885v