San Diego, California, USA
May 7, 2025
Designation confirms conventional regulation of Cibus herbicide tolerance traits in rice in Ecuador paving the way for further product development and eventual commercialization in a key rice growing region
Cibus, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBUS) (the “Company”), a leading agricultural technology company that develops and licenses plant traits to seed companies, announced today that the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock in Ecuador has determined that Rice cultivars containing Cibus’ herbicide tolerance Rice traits (HT1 and HT3) are equivalent to those developed through conventional breeding and subject to the same regulations as conventional seed in accordance with the provisions of the Organic Law of Agrobiodiversity, Seeds and Promotion of Sustainable Agriculture and its Regulations.
The Rice trait products reviewed were developed utilizing Cibus’ Rapid Trait Development System™ (RTDS®) technologies that enable targeted genetic changes without integrating recombinant DNA – foreign genetic material – at any stage in a crop’s development. The Ecuadorian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock determined that Rice plants containing Cibus’ HT1 and HT3 traits may proceed with registration and commercialization in Ecuador in accordance with existing laws regulating the development and introduction of new plant varieties and will not be subject to laws that strictly prohibit the commercial planting of transgenic (GMO) plants.
“We applaud the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock for implementing regulations that will enable Ecuadorian growers to benefit from the best available tools and technologies to help increase productivity while addressing ever increasing challenges associated with a changing climate. New and more effective weed management solutions are necessary to meet these pressing challenges,” noted Cibus’ Co-Founder and Interim Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Peter Beetham. “We are pleased that the Ministry recognized that Cibus’ RTDS precision breeding technologies result in genetic improvements that could have been achieved through conventional breeding albeit much faster and much more precise than traditional approaches.”
Cibus plans to introduce its herbicide tolerance traits in Rice to Latin American markets through its partnership with Interoc and other major seed companies. Interoc, a company with a deep history in Latin America and substantial expertise in Rice seed genetics and Rice breeding, plans to add Cibus’ HT1 and HT3 Rice traits to their elite lines to offer innovative weed management solutions to growers in Latin America.
Fernando de la Puente, Corporate Vice President of Interoc, noted, “As part of our goal to deliver innovative agricultural solutions to growers, we are pleased with the determination from regulatory authorities on Cibus’ herbicide tolerance traits that will help expedite our ability to bring beneficial technology to the Rice community.”
Martin Poveda, Senior Director, Rice and Business Affairs at Cibus added, “With this development in Ecuador, we are excited to continue development of HT1 and HT3 Rice varieties alongside Interoc and bring the benefits of Cibus RTDS breeding platform to important food and feed crops in the Latin America region and beyond.”
In addition to Ecuador, Cibus believes this paves the path to pursue regulatory clearance for its HT1 and HT3 Rice traits in other key Latin American markets.
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