October 24, 2018

The Government of Indonesia has approved the first genetically modified crop which will soon be commercialized in the country.

The biotech sugarcane event NXI-4T which contains betaine gene was developed by the state-owned sugar company, PT Perkebunan Nusantara XI (PTPN XI). The gene expressed osmoprotectant compound which was introduced using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated plant transformation. The GM crop was developed through the collaborative efforts of PTPN XI, Jember University, and Ajinomoto Company. The biotech sugarcane can produce 10-30% more sugar than conventional parental lines under drought conditions.

The feed safety approval has been granted by the Ministry of Agriculture in August 2018. The next step of the developers is to plan the commercialization of the biotech crop to meet the demands for sugarcane and its by-products in Indonesia.

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