Area
China (Mainland)
Commodity Group
Oilseeds, oils and meals
Commodity
Soybeans, rapeseed
Date
01/01/2019
Policy Category
Other
Policy Instrument
GMO policy
Description
Approved the importation of two new GM soybean varieties and two new GM rapeseed varieties, while also renewing a number of existing import permits for three years.
Notes
In January, China approved the importation of five new GM crop varieties, including two new soybean traits (Enlist E3 and SYHTOH2) and two new rapeseed traits (RF3 and MON88302) that were developed by seed firms in North America and Europe. In addition to the new approvals, the import permits for another 26 GM crops have been renewed for three years. Chinas move follows repeated calls by exporting countries for improved market access (see also MPPU June & July17). In a separate note, Chinas agriculture ministry informed that, starting next year, domestic entities researching and developing GM products may be granted financial support. The announcement reinforces earlier government efforts to move towards the commercialization of domestically developed GM crops (see MPPU Mar./May15, Sep16 & Jan.17).
