Biotech Updates

Indonesian Regulatory Body Seeks Comments on Food Safety Assessment of GM Sugarcane

June 29, 2012

Transgenic sugarcane events NXI-4T and-6T NXI are drought tolerant sugarcane which are comparable with its conventional counterpart in terms of physical properties, nutritional value, and genetic stability. These are the first events of GM sugarcane containing betA gene responsible for drought tolerance. RmbetA gene was derived from Rhizobium meliloti for the event NXI-4T and NXI-6T.

These transgenic sugarcane are safe as food, says the report on the food safety assessment of GM products which is based on the regulation of the National Agency of Drug and Food Control on Guidelines for Food Safety Assessment of Genetic Engineering Products (PRG). Summary results of Food Safety Assessment of these transgenic sugarcane (in Bahasa) can be downloaded at http://www.indonesiabch.org/docs/tebu-nxi4t-kp.pdf and http://www.indonesiabch.org/docs/tebu-nxi6t-kp.pdf.

The Indonesia Biosafety Clearing House invites the public to comment, input, and submit suggestions about the genetically engineered products (PRG) via email, phone/fax, discussion forums, guest book, Facebook (Indonesia Biosafety Clearing House), or via http://www.indonesiabch.org/komentar/tebu-nxi4t-kp/ and http://www.indonesiabch.org/komentar/tebu-nxi6t-kp/.

For information on biotechnology in Indonesia, contact Dewi Suryani at cattleyavanda@gmail.com.