Officials and experts on Wednesday denied a Greenpeace finding
that the use of genetically modified (GM) rice in China is "out of
control," speculating on the reliability of the international
environmental protection group's research.
Zhu Xinquan, chairman of the Chinese Society of
Agro-Biotechnology, said, "I cannot agree with the findings of the
report and am wondering if the tests conducted by the organization
are scientific or not."
Greenpeace tested rice bought in central China's Hubei
Province and found 19 of 25 samples to contain grain modified
with bacterial genetic material in order to fight pests, said Liu
Haiying, the organization's program director in Beijing.
Samples collected in Hubei were sent to a gene testing
laboratory in Germany, she said.
Sze Pang Cheung, Greenpeace genetic engineering campaigner, said in
Hong Kong that the GM industry is "out of control."
An official from the Ministry of Agriculture's Office of
Genetically Modified Organism Safety (OGMOS) said, "We have not
seen the testing reports, but the testing of GM rice seeds should
be based on China's technical standards."
"We've asked the agricultural department in Hubei to conduct
on-the-spot tests," said the unnamed official.
Greenpeace estimated that 950-1,200 tons of GM rice was grown in
China last year from a planted area of 1,900-2,400 mu
(127-160 hectares).
This year the area is expected to grow to 20,000-25,000
mu (1,333-1,667 hectares) with an output of 10,000-12,000
tons, according to Greenpeace.
The group's concerns are especially grave because the region is
close to areas in which wild rice grows, and to the "center of rice
biodiversity" in Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi.
The OGMOS official said field trials of GM rice are being
conducted in Hubei and elsewhere, but that plantation acreage is
limited to 30 mu (2 hectares).
GM rice has been planted for several years in research conducted
by Huazhong Agricultural
University, but no licenses are granted anywhere in the world
for its commercial use.
Zhu said that "regulations on GM food have been in force for
several years in China and the nation is doing more research before
approving the commercialization of GM rice. A cautious attitude
must be taken on its safety since it is a highly important food for
Chinese people."
The ministry official added, "Sales of GM rice seeds are
strictly prohibited and there are GM safety offices at province
level to conduct regular checks."
(China Daily April 14, 2005)