BEIJING, Jan 18 (Reuters) - China on Thursday approved additional varieties of genetically modified soybeans and corn for import and production while expanding their license nationwide, as part of a drive to improve food security and reduce imports.
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.
It also approved imports of gene-modified insect- and herbicide-resistant soybean variety DBN8002 and herbicide-tolerant corn variety DP202216.
The approvals extend for five years, effective from Jan. 2, 2024.
China, one of the world's largest consumers of soy and corn, has moved cautiously on deployment of technology for genetically modified organisms (GMO), but is steadily opening up to the cultivation of GMO crops.
In December, China issued licences to a first batch of 26 companies to breed and sell modified corn and soybean seeds after years of pilot testing.
Market penetration of gene-modified crops could reach 85% in three to five years once the industry is fully commercialised, GMO developer Beijing Dabeinong Technology said in a filing this month.
China is pushing for higher domestic crop yields this year to ensure food security and wants to reduce its reliance on soybean and grain imports, now at more than 100 million tonnes a year. (Reporting by Mei Mei Chu, Liz Lee and Beijing newsroom; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Edmund Klamann)
