Hebei, Jilin, Sichuan, Yunnan and Inner Mongolia will play a role in expanding a trial of genetically modified (GM) corn and soybeans amid China’s increased focus on food security.
China plans to grow nearly 90 per cent of the grain it needs by 2032, while also reducing imports, with food security high on the agenda for Beijing amid rising geopolitical tensions and the Ukraine war.
China faces a corn-supply shortfall that could put it at the mercy of imports, and this flies in the face of Beijing’s efforts to reduce reliance on external sources.
A lockdown in Jilin province, a major corn-producing region, has prevented farmers from tending fields, while bans on interregional travel are disrupting transport of agricultural goods.