China suspends import licences of 3 Indian rice exporters, terms produce GMO

Nagpur: In a new twist to the Indo-China dispute over rice trade, Chinese authorities have suspended import licences of three Indian companies, one is Nagpur-based, after rejecting their consignments on grounds that it was genetically modified organism (GMO) material. GMO relates to plants or animals whose DNA is altered to get desired traits. It’s the first time in the recent past that trade licences of Indian rice exporters have been suspended by China. This is expected to have a far-reaching impact on the Indian rice trade, especially when it’s the global market leader for the commodity, say exporters. Moreover, there’s…