China becomes the main player in the transgenic seeds sector

China has taken the lead in adopting policies and significant advances in GM crop technology. In 2023, it had more than 2.8 million hectares planted with GM cotton, and since 2021, the Asian country has started a pilot project for genetically modified corn and soybeans, rapidly expanding in these crops and also showing considerable openness to new plant breeding techniques (NBT) such as gene editing. By 2024, the area of GM trials in China is estimated to have grown by 150%, reaching some 650,000 hectares, although this represents only 1.5% of the total area of corn planted in the country. China is moving towards a future where biotechnology will be a pillar in its agricultural industry, especially in the seed sector. Currently, GM seeds represent almost 50% of the global market, although they cover only 18% of the sown area worldwide. The introduction of new transgenic crops in emerging markets will imply a significant increase in the adoption of the technology. The Asia-Pacific ...