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In February 2025, Ethiopia’s National Variety Release Committee (NVRC) approved the commercial release of three TELA maize hybrid varieties.

On February 21, 2024, The Government of Rwanda (GoR) published a new biosafety law providing requirements for the transit and utilization of living modified organisms (LMOs) produced through modern biotechnology techniques. This law enters effect immediately.

Ethiopian farmers and researchers have tried to address food security shortfalls and plant health issues through conventional breeding without success.

In 2018, the Government of Ethiopia (GOE) authorized cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) cotton by granting official approvals for environmental release.

In May, the Ethiopian Ministry of Environment approved Bt cotton – the country’s first biotech crop – for cultivation.

Ethiopia completed its second round of Bt cotton confined field trials in 2017 and commercialization is expected within the next couple of years.

For the past several years, Ethiopia has invested in establishing the legal and regulatory systems, as well as the technical capacity to support and manage the adoption of genetically engineered...

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is supporting Ethiopia in meeting their national climate change goals and international commitments.

On August 14, 2015, the President of Ethiopia signed into law the necessary regulatory framework that will allow the cultivation of genetically-engineered Bt cotton.

The Government of Ethiopia (GOE) recently amended its Biosafety Proclamation with the intent of permitting the future cultivation of biotech cotton to meet the rising demands from the textile industry