China GM Crops Approval

On January 11, 2021 the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture announced it had approved two new Genetically Modified (GM) Corn varieties for import; the glyphosate-resistant and insect-resistant MON87411 sold by Bayer’s Crop Science unit and MZIR098 produced by Syngenta. On the same day, the Ministry confirmed the safety of a GM soy and a GM corn variety for cultivation in China (developed by Beijing company Dabeinong Technology Group. Although it has authorized many GM crops for import, China has never officially permitted planting. This now appears to be changing as part of a strategy to improve food security. The two crops for cultivation will be subject to public comment until February 1 and several additional steps will need to be completed before commercial production can commence.