Lang
China plans to plant four to five times more genetically modified (GM) corn this year than it did last year, according to analysts and industry representatives, Reuters reported.
This marks a significant acceleration in the adoption of biotechnology, which had previously faced strict government restrictions, public scepticism and mixed trial results.
After decades of caution, China has stepped up approvals of new GM seed varieties over the past two years, viewing biotechnology as a tool to strengthen food security.
According to a report by CITICS Research and three seed industry representatives, the area planted with GM corn in China will rise from around 670,000 hectares to between 3.3 and 4.1 million hectares in 2025.
Although this initiative is not directly linked to the US-China trade dispute, reducing reliance on corn imports could give Beijing new leverage in negotiations. Last year, US corn imports accounted for around 15% of China's total corn imports.
Despite the expected growth, GM corn still accounts for only about 7% of China's total corn-planted area, compared with more than 90% in both the United States and Brazil.
While China could quickly reach similar proportions, the government remains cautious due to entrenched scepticism among farmers and consumers, as well as strict controls on seed sales, which complicate planning and have led to a domestic seed oversupply.
Some sources noted that a number of farmers have already begun using illegal GM seeds or hybrid varieties in search of higher yields. Illegal GM seed activity in north-east China has shown there is genuine demand for the newer varieties.
China's Ministry of Agriculture has called on provinces to tighten oversight of the illegal trade in GM seeds.
According to analyst Even Rogers Pay of Trivium China, the shift from pilot projects to widespread cultivation could initially lead to a drop in yields, as farmers will not be able to give the same level of care to each plant, though they will adapt over time.
Pay concluded: "If the new varieties prove to perform better, they will expand. And there will be no turning back."