May 16, 2022

Argentina the first country to authorise GMO wheat planting

Argentina has become the first country in the world to authorise the planting of GMO wheat as it approved the Bioceres-developed HB4 GMO wheat variety for national commercialisation, Reuters reported.

Bioceres said the HB4 seed will not be available for the market yet. The seed is more resistant to herbicide glufosinate-ammonium and is more drought-tolerant.

The company said they will not commercialise the seeds and continue production under the preserved identity scheme they currently have.

Argentina, where farmers are ready to begin growing wheat for the 2022/23 season, was the first country to approve GMO wheat on an experimental basis in 2020, followed by Brazil in 2021, which is a key purchaser of Argentina's wheat.

The Ministry of Agriculture said on Thursday that INDEAR, a Bioceres Group company, has been given permission to sell the seed, as well as the goods and by-products obtained from the IND-00412-7 wheat.

Grain exporters are concerned that the introduction of GMO wheat in Argentina may cause many consumers to quit importing the Argentine grain, as the great majority of nations across the world have not yet approved GMO wheat or its derivatives.

Argentina's oilseeds and grains exporters chamber said the legislation poses a significant business risk, adding that the ministry and the developing firm will bear the economic implications of any future market losses.

According to the Rosario Grains Exchange, Argentina's forthcoming wheat crop in 2022/23 is projected to yield 19 million tonnes.

-      Reuters