Iran Set to Begin GM Cotton Cultivation: Report

Cotton is set to be the first genetically-modified crop authorized for cultivation in Iran.
Earlier in the current Iranian year (started March 21), the National Biosafety Council, chaired by First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri, approved the "release" of genetically-modified cotton, as biotechnologists put it, after it is approved by responsible bodies, including the ministries of agriculture and health.
“Local researchers at the Agriculture Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran, affiliated to the Agriculture Ministry, have gained the technical know-how to produce the seeds of GM cotton," Nayyer-Azam Khoshkholq-Sima, the head of ABRII, told Financial Tribune.
"The project to produce GM cottonseeds was kicked off at ABRII in 1379 [fiscal 2000-01], but it came to a halt after facing roadblocks. Due to the agriculture minister’s demand for curbing the import of GM crops, ABRII made an official request in 1393 [fiscal 2014-15] for authorizing the cultivation of genetically-modified cotton in the country.”