Biotech Updates

Biosafety Studies on GM Cotton Approved in Bolivia

February 17, 2012

The Biosafety Clearing House of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in Bolivia has approved the conduct of biosafety studies of Bt cotton, a process necessary for eventual commercialization. Studies will be done on the following events: Monsanto's MON 531 with resistance to lepidopteran insects, and Bollgard / Cryx (event MON 15893 x MON 531) with resistance to lepidopteran insects and tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate.

Currently the only approved GM crop ​​in Bolivia is RR soybean (event 40-3-2 by Monsanto). Bolivian farmers planted the crop on 900,000 hectares in 2011.

For more information on this development, email Dr. Alexander Grobman of PeruBiotec at
alexander.grobman@gmail.com