In the first change to China’s Seed Law since enactment in 2000, the top legislature relaxed regulation over nearly two dozen crops but said new varieties of five major crops – rice, corn, wheat, soybeans and cotton – will still need regulatory approval before they go on the market, said Xinhua. “The reduction is meant to stimulate innovation in seed research while guaranteeing China’s food security,” said the official news agency. The Chinese seed market is second to the United States with a value of more than 100 billion yuan, or nearly $16 billion.
While new strains of crops such as peanuts, potatoes and rapeseed will only need to register their products, China’s “cumbersome approval process, which can take up to four years, remains unchanged” for the five major field crops, said Reuters.
“The draft law adopts a prudent attitude toward GM (genetically modified) seeds, saying that breeding, testing and promotion of GM seeds must be assessed and controlled,” said Xinhua. “Agricultural and forestry authorities should strengthen their management of GM seeds and release information in a timely manner, according to the new law.”
China and the United States opened a binational “dialogue” this fall with the goal of better coordination of testing and approval of GM crops. Corn trade was roiled for months and dozens of shipments were rejected in 2013 and 2014 because Chinese inspectors found traces of a GM variety that was cleared for U.S. cultivation but not for sale in China.