The Russian government will ban the use of genetically modified organisms in food production, Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich was quoted as saying at an agricultural forum.
"The question is complicated, but the decision was made. We are not going to produce any food products using genetically modified organisms," Dvorkovich said according to a report from the Prime news agency.
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Moscow has gradually tightened rules against GMOs. Last year, Russia banned the import of GMO products and the government drafted a law prohibiting cultivation, except for research purposes. Meanwhile, a law ordering obligatory state registration of GMO products that might contact with the environment will come into force in mid-2017.
Speaking at an international conference on biotechnology in the Russian city of Kirov, Dvorkovich again drew a line between the cultivation of GMOs for research purposes and for food production. "This is not a simple issue, we must do very thorough work on division on these spheres and form a legal base on this foundation," he reportedly said.
Representatives for Dvorkovich's office and from the Russian Department of Agriculture did not respond to requests for comment at time of press.
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