Reuters – Chinese corn breeders are preparing to plant more than double the amount of genetically modified corn next year than in 2023, three industry sources said, with Beijing expected to tightly control the rollout.
GM corn will be allowed on about 670,000 hectares (1.66 million acres), in eight provinces next year, including the northeastern province of Liaoning for the first time, said one of the sources, who was briefed on a proposal discussed at a meeting held by the agriculture ministry last month.
The source declined to be identified because the plan is not public and could change.
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The other two sources, who are familiar with the situation, also said GM seed developers and breeders are preparing for the planting of around 10 million mu. The mu is a Chinese area measurement equal to about 1/15 of a hectare.
“Everyone is waiting for certificates before they’re able to sell,” said one of the sources, adding the documents could be issued in a month.
Beijing permitted planting of about four million mu, or 270,000 hectares, of GM corn this year in what it described as trials, but has not yet issued public guidance for 2024.
Despite the increase, the new amount would account for just 1.5 per cent of the almost 44 million hectares expected to be sown with corn this spring.
“It’s growing, but in a very controlled, regulated fashion in terms of what you can sell and where you can sell it,” said the source, adding that no information was available on how the seed would be priced.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs did not respond to a fax seeking comment on the plan.
China is the world’s second-largest corn grower and has become the largest importer in recent years amid rising demand for feed for its huge herd of pigs and chickens.
Its tightly controlled introduction of GM corn is being closely watched by global suppliers because it could significantly reduce demand for imports if domestic output grows.
Beijing does not allow fully commercial sales of GM corn seed, even though imports of the grain are permitted.
However, ongoing tension with the United States, a major corn exporter, and the war in key grower Ukraine is pushing Beijing to focus more on self-sufficiency, including through future planting of higher-yielding GM crops.
China has approved the safety of more than a dozen corn “events”, or genetic changes, since 2019.
GM seed produced this year, in addition to seed harvested from last year’s trials and currently in storage, could more than meet the 10 million mu target, said the three sources familiar with the matter.
China’s northeast is the country’s most important corn-growing region. Illegal GM seed has been available there for years, according to industry participants and state media, underlining the strong interest from farmers in using the technology.
GM corn will also be planted in the southwestern region of Guangxi for the first time, one of the sources said.
The final acreage size will be decided by the provinces, which are expected to restrict planting to specific counties, said the sources.
GM corn was planted this year in Jilin, Yunnan, Hebei, Inner Mongolia and Sichuan provinces. The agriculture ministry has said this year’s trials showed “outstanding” results and demonstrated that the technology was safe.
At time of writing, it was not clear when China will allow full commercialization of biotech corn and soy. The ministry approved 37 GM corn varieties and 14 GM soybean varieties in October but said planting should still comply with a national plan for commercializing biotech breeding.
The slow rollout of the technology is removing the competitive advantage for companies who were first to win safety approvals, added one of the sources.
