Browse Data and Analysis

Panama made a policy change regarding Genetically Engineered (GE) plants, seeds and animals in 2022, through the recently approved Legislative Act which establishes the State Agri-food Policy and dictates other provisions.

The Government of Bangladesh has demonstrated a willingness to adopt and implement a modern agricultural policy framework and guidelines which support the safe and appropriate use of science and technology, including biotechnology, to help meet agricultural challenges.

Malaysia’s Biosafety Act 2007 and Biosecurity Regulations are currently under review by the Department of Biosafety. As of September 2022, 57 genetically engineered (GE) products have been approved for import, an increase of 14 percent from 2021.

Singapore does not have any domestic commercial production of plant biotechnology. The Singapore Food Agency provides a link in its website that lists a total of 64 genetically engineered (GE) crops that have been approved for use as food for direct consumption, ingredients, and further processing into ingredients for other food in the country.

The People's Republic of China (PRC) is preparing for commercial cultivation of domestically developed genetically engineered (GE) crops.

Nigeria has taken an increasingly active role in biotechnology research and development in Africa – spurred by the solid support of the Government of Nigeria (GON). In September 2022, Nigeria hosted regulators from Mozambique and Ethiopia to learn more about Nigeria’s biotechnology regulatory experience.

Algeria does not develop, commercialize or import genetically engineered products. The Ministry of Agriculture’s decree of December 24, 2020, prevents agricultural genetically engineered product development, commercialization as well as import into Algeria.

This report provides updated information about the adoption of agricultural biotechnology in Vietnam. Since approving all outstanding applications for food and feed use in August 2021, Vietnam has not resumed its regulatory process for acknowledging and reviewing new applications.

This report assesses the agricultural biotechnology sector in the Netherlands, and covers related production, trade, and policies. It includes topics related to genetic engineering and innovative plant, animal, and microbial biotechnologies.

While Colombia's regulatory environment remains friendly toward the adoption of biotech-derived commodities and other innovative technologies, Congressional anti-biotechnology initiatives continue posing a threat, risking the benefits to consumers and the agricultural sector. In 2021, genetically engineered corn area planted grew 31 percent, reaching record figures, and genetically engineered cotton area planted recovered 55 percent compared to 2020.

Despite private sector support for biotechnology, Venezuela’s ban on the domestic use of and research on modern biotechnology-derived agriculture remains in place. The backbone of this ban is the Seed Law of December 2015, which also prohibits the importation of genetically-engineered seeds.

The legal and regulatory situation to allow the planting of genetically engineered (GE) crops in Ecuador remains relatively the same as 2021. Commercial cultivation of GE crops is not permitted, however cultivation for research is allowed and an exception exists for GE products without recombinant or foreign DNA in the genome. A ruling by Ecuador’s Constitutional Court in early 2022 now makes it more difficult for the President to authorize exceptions to the GE ban.