Cumbersome regulatory approval of GMOs in China hurts innovation

no gmo

China’s government has too many rules restricting the adoption of genetically modified food, and that’s ultimately hurting its long-term competitiveness in the sector, according to a leading Chinese researcher on the topic.

While Beijing keeps most foreign GMOs out, it is keen to develop its own genetically modified products. However, Huang Dafang, the former director of the country’s Biotechnology Research Institute – and a strong GMO advocate — says that the government is going about it the wrong way.

“The approval process for GMOs is too lengthy, there are too many steps,” Huang, also a professor at the state-backed Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said Wednesday at an industry conference.

Beijing does not allow the commercial production of GMO food, apart from papayas. While the government permits a handful of GMO crops to be imported for animal consumption and, in the case of soybeans, to be processed into edible oil, even that extent of permission has stirred public controversy.

So far, agriculture officials have not given any indication on when they might give the green light on GMOs for human consumption in China. Some analysts have suggested that the government is keen to make sure that the China is prepared to master the technology to such an extent that the market won’t be swamped by foreign competition from biotechnology giants like Monsanto and DuPont once Beijing permits domestic commercial production of GMO food.

Read full, original article: China’s Rules Smother GMOs, Researcher Says

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