Gene-edited crops for food security

Subject – Environment

Context – China to allow gene-edited crops in push for food security

Concept –

China has published trial rules for the approval of gene-edited plants, paving the way for faster improvements to crops as it seeks to bolster its food security.
Gene editing — or altering the genes of a plant to change or improve its performance — is viewed by some scientists as less risky than genetically-modifying them, which involves transferring a foreign gene.
Beijing also recently passed new regulations that set out a clear path for approval for genetically modified (GM)crops.
But while it has deliberated for years whether to allow planting of GM crops to feed its people and livestock, it is ahead of some nations in outlining clear and relatively fast procedures for gene-edited crops.
The technology’s precision makes it faster than conventional breeding or genetic modification, and also lowers the cost.
Regulation is also less cumbersome in some countries, such as the United States, although the European Union is still reviewing how to regulate the technology.