A handful of alfalfa, canola, and other crop strains have been approved by Chinese officials, providing hope that the country’s notoriously slow approval process is beginning to move.
China’s agriculture ministry recently approved the import of eight genetically modified crops, including several domestically developed technologies according to media reports.
A handful of alfalfa, canola, and other crop strains have been approved by Chinese officials, providing hope that the country’s notoriously slow approval process is beginning to move.
Beth Ellikidis, who heads up the Biotechnology Innovation Organization’s agriculture and environment issue area, called the news “a positive step toward resolving the long-standing challenges developers face” in China.
“We hope that this is a recognition by the Chinese government of the importance of agricultural innovation in increasing agricultural production sustainably and bolstering food security,” she said.
Streamlining the biotech approval process was included in the Trump administration’s “phase one” trade agreement with China, but little progress has been seen.
The USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service issued a report in November 2022 noting that the process “lacks transparency and predictability,” but also stating that China was “preparing for commercial cultivation of domestically developed” Genetically modified organisms crops.
BIO wants the US government to “continue to engage with China to fully comply with the ‘phase one’ commitments, including finalising submission approvals within two years,” according to Ellikidis.
Honoring these commitments will help China implement a transparent, predictable, efficient, science- and risk-based regulatory process for evaluating and authorising agricultural biotechnology products.
The approvals include a pair of GMO alfalfa traits developed by Forage Genetics International, a subsidiary of Land O’Lakes, and canola traits developed by Corteva.
Glenda Gehl, vice president and general manager of FGI, said the approval of the traits “further reinforces the safety of these technologies and is a positive step toward opening a valuable export opportunity for U.S. agriculture.” “This is about feeding the world’s growing population while also supporting American farmers, agricultural retailers, and the rural communities they serve.”
According to a Corteva spokesperson, the company is awaiting “the official safety certificate,” but Optimum FLY canola hybrids “are expected to be commercially available in Canada, the United States, and Australia pending applicable regulatory reviews.”