China food security: Beijing signals overhaul of GM crop rules in push for seed industry breakthrough
- The Ministry of Agriculture has proposed a series of regulatory changes to enhance competitiveness of China’s seed industry
- Concerns about food supply have heightened over the past 18 months amid coronavirus disruptions and rivalry with the US
China has proposed an overhaul of regulations governing genetically modified (GM) crops, in a move that is likely to strengthen the nation’s seed industry amid heightened food security concerns.
Ahead of the central economic work conference and rural work conference next month, the Ministry of Agriculture has proposed a series of regulatory changes to boost the competitiveness of China’s seed industry.
On Friday, the ministry detailed planned changes in two draft documents, including easing trial requirements for authorised GM crops, revising safety evaluations for genetically modified organisms used in agriculture, encouraging companies and institutions to build their own research bases, and relaxing geographic restrictions on test areas.
The preparatory work before liberalising the commercialisation of GM has been basically completed
On Monday, the ministry issued a draft member list for its new committee on GM crop safety, which included Wu Kongming, an academic at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and high-profile advocate for GM commercialisation, ranked at the top.