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On Friday, March 7, 2025, Kenya’s Court of Appeal put a hold on the trade and cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) products until an appeal filed by the Kenya Peasants League is fully heard.

Research and development of agricultural biotechnology in Indonesia continue to progress gradually. Over the past year, around 10 GE crop events have obtained food and feed approval, although only one has received environmental approval for domestic cultivation. To date, more than 50 crop events have received food and feed safety certificates.

With the notable exception of Bt. cotton, biotech products are not allowed to be produced, imported, or marketed in Kenya. On October 30, 2024, Kenya’s High Court is expected to make a ruling on the biotechnology case challenging the production and trade in genetically engineered (GE) agricultural products.

From March 4-6, 2024, 26 representatives from all ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Timor-Leste participated in a USDA-funded agricultural biotechnology workshop - along with dozens of private sector stakeholders at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia.

On October 3, 2022, Kenya’s newly elected president, Dr. William Ruto, lifted the 10-year ban on importation and cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) agricultural products. Kenya’s Cabinet cited the need to provide the agricultural sector with...

President Jokowi stated his support for the utilization of genetically engineered (GE) crops (i.e., soybeans) in his September 2022 speech. To date, ten GE events have been allowed for cultivation in Indonesia (i.e., one GE sugarcane, one GE potato...

Indonesia is a key stakeholder and an active participant at global environmental fora. Home to a vast swathe of rainforest, Indonesia is ranked as the world’s tenth largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG), mainly due to land-use change and energy sector emissions.

On February 3, 2022, Kenya notified a draft standard on labeling for genetically modified seed (KS 2983-2023) to the WTO TBT Committee as G/TBT/N/KEN/1379. The comment deadline is 60 days from the date of notification with June 2023 as the proposed date of adoption.

On October 3, 2022, Kenya’s newly elected president, Dr. William Ruto, lifted the 10-year ban on importation and cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) agricultural products. This decision opens a path to importation of GE agricultural commodities and domestic production of GE crops in accordance with Kenya’s existing regulatory structure.

Following the approval of a GE potato variety in July 2021, the Government of Indonesia approved four GE corn events for domestic commercial cultivation in February 2022. The U.S. exported nearly $2.2 billion in GE-derived products to Indonesia in 2021.

The Government of Indonesia approved regulations for genetically engineered (GE) products, which allows for commercial GE crop cultivation. In July 2021, the Ministry of Agriculture issued a decree approving the release of a GE potato.

On June 2021, Kenya became the first country globally to approve the environmental release of genetically engineered (GE) cassava. Bt. corn will likely be sent to Kenya’s cabinet for exemption from Kenya’s GE ban and final approval in fall 2021.