China expands list of approvals for transgenic soybean and corn varieties

The varieties approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in a notice on Tuesday include seed varieties owned by Dabeinong and China National Seed Group, a unit of the Syngenta group. For years, China has been cautious about implementing GM crops, but in January it said it would expand planting of GM soybeans and corn after pilot projects showed good results in increasing productivity and reducing costs compared with conventional seed types. The world's biggest buyer of soybeans and corn aims to increase domestic production through higher-yielding seeds and reduce its grain imports by more than 100 million tons per year. The list of approved varieties is open for public comment until April 17, according ...