China has issued the first series of licenses for the production and sale of genetically modified maize and soybean varieties. The Ministry of Agriculture has thus paved the way for the commercialization of these crops, the business magazine Caixin reported on Friday. In total, licenses have now been granted for the production of seeds for 36 genetically modified maize and ten genetically modified soya varieties. According to Caixin, the licenses went to three companies in particular: The state-owned China National Seed Group, the agricultural subsidiaries of Beijing Dabeinong Technology, and Yuan Longping High-Tech Agriculture.