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.
From technology to tumultuous trade ties, China is finding it a challenge to guarantee sufficient crop yields, but drastic measures are being taken across the country to shore up critical grains.
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.
China’s premier soybean summit is taking place amid heightened international tensions that have bolstered China-Russia trade and revealed the potential for it to improve further.