India mandates GMO test for all rice exports to China

APEDA's move is a direct response to China's refusal to accept India's claim that it is a non-GMO country for rice. APEDA told the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China that India has no GMO rice seeds in commercial cultivation. ICAR and GEAC confirmed the same. China did not budge, industry sources said. The SOP formalises what China demanded.

The SOP requires exporters to apply for sample testing at recognised labs. After sampling, the lot cannot be shifted or relocated. Only after a clean test result does the exporter apply for the Registration-cum-Allocation-Certificate by submitting the Certificate of Analysis. The consignment also needs a Phytosanitary Certificate from DPPQS.

Exporters already face headwinds from African markets. At the Non-Basmati Rice Development Fund meeting in May, a section of exporters said Senegal, Burkina Faso, Benin and Sudan have taken restrictive measures to cut rice imports. That has hurt Indian non-basmati volumes. APEDA Chairman Abhishek Dev told exporters to diversify toward the Philippines, Indonesia and China, where India's share is below potential. He also urged exporters to incentivise farmers to grow varieties those markets want.

The immediate tension is between compliance and continuity. If APEDA grants the transition period, exporters have roughly seven weeks to execute existing contracts under old rules. If it sticks to the June 9 date, some shipments could be delayed or rejected, testing the market's resilience.

What happens next will depend on whether GACC accepts the new SOP as sufficient or demands further checks. China's GMO scrutiny is a non-tariff barrier India has sought to defuse through the SOP. The alternative – a prolonged dispute – would cost both sides the trade growth of the last five years.