Through gene-editing, companies are not only diversifying crops but are also developing a variety of traits for biotic stress tolerance and modified composition, plant yield and abiotic stress tolerance, which was restricted to input-oriented traits in the case of GMOs. Traits are also being developed for bioenergy crops using gene-editing, and companies are also developing partnerships in the bioenergy space.
Owing to the need for higher yields, governments worldwide are becoming more open to adopting GE agricultural products. However, potential regulatory requirements, trade barriers, environmental and ethical concerns, and consumer and retailer acceptance are all factors.
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The USA, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador, Colombia, Israel, and Chile do not impose any regulations on this technology. These countries accept gene-editing as equivalent to conventional breeding when used for genome modifications through a base pair addition or deletion (known as targeted mutagenesis and cisgenesis).
Countries including Canada, Nigeria, Russian Federation, Japan, Australia, India, Pakistan, the Philippines and Indonesia have clear rules and procedures in place for the case-by-case evaluation of gene-edited products and are considering targeted mutagenesis and cisgenesis as non-GM. However, the European Union, China (mainland), and the UK are developing a new regulatory framework for plants produced using gene-editing techniques.
