China on Thursday approved additional varieties of genetically modified soybeans and corn for import and production while expanding their planting areas nationwide, as part of a drive to improve food security and reduce imports, reports Reuters. The agriculture ministry approved the domestic production of six more varieties of genetically modified corn, two of soybeans and one of cotton, and another two of gene-edited soybeans, a notice on the ministry’s website said.
The planting zones for most of the varieties were expanded from “ecologically suitable” areas to the whole country, according to the notice. Previously, some corn varieties were restricted to the Northern or Southern producing areas.
For imports, the ministry approved gene-modified insect- and herbicide-resistant soybean variety, DBN8002, developed by Beijing Dabeinong Technology Group, which had been licensed for planting in Argentina since 2022.