Debate on GM food continues

0 CommentsPrint E-mail China Daily, March 4, 2010
Adjust font size:

Debate over the safety of genetically-modified (GM) food continues in China, as the government steps up its efforts to develop GM crops to ensure grain security.

A farm technician works at a GM rice test field in Sanya, Hainan province. [Shi Yan/China Daily]
A farm technician works at a GM rice test field in Sanya, Hainan province. [Shi Yan/China Daily]

Supporters and opponents are stoking the debate after the Ministry of Agriculture granted safety certificates for the domestic production of two types of GM paddy rice and one type of GM corn.

With the country facing increasing pressure to feed its population of 1.3 billion, the government hopes disease-resistant crops will help address the growing problem of food shortages.

Chinese scientists have said GM rice and maize are as safe as non-GM varieties and pledged to expand their production.

GM maize and soybeans are already widely consumed in China, as well as in the United States.

Debate on GM food continues

The commercialization of GM rice may be approved within the next three to four years, according to agricultural experts.

Xue Dayuan, a specialist on biodiversity at the Nanjing Research Institute of Environmental Sciences, said he is worried about the safety hazards posed by the commercialization of GM rice to the health of consumers and the environment.

"I don't object to the commercialization of GM rice, but I'm concerned about its risks," he was quoted as saying by the Xinhua News Agency.

He stressed that the country should be prudent over commercializing GM rice, since it would be the first country in the world to do so.

"If the world has not reached a consensus on GM food safety, it would be too proactive and risky to commercialize GM crops on a large scale," Zheng Fengtian, vice-dean of the Rural and Agricultural Development Institute at Renmin University of China, was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

A recent survey conducted by China Daily and sohu.com suggested that more than 85 percent of respondents were worried about the potential health hazards of GM food.

However, supporters of GM crops have argued there is no evidence that GM crops pose safety risks to either people or the environment.

Wu Yongning, a food safety specialist with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said current studies have not proven GM food is harmful to consumers' health.

According to Wu, genetically-modified food has to pass rigorous tests before it is allowed onto supermarket shelves, including laboratory and field studies, toxicity and allergy tests.

Health administrators will also establish a system to monitor and report any adverse effects, he said.

"I am not ruling out all possible risks, but the risks of GM food are no greater than those of traditional ones, given the heavy use of pesticide in growing traditional food," he added.

The State Council, China's Cabinet, introduced a regulation in 2001 to ensure the safety of GM food, with strict provisions on its research, testing, production and marketing.

Huang Dafang, director of the Biotechnology Research Institute at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, said that since GM food is less vulnerable to insects and diseases, fewer pesticides are needed to grow them, which is safer for consumers and the environment.

According to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Application, the expansion of GM planting from 1996 to 2006 saved 224,000 tons of pesticides from being sprayed onto crops.

In cutting down on the work required to spray crops, GM food has the potential to ease the labor shortage in China's countryside, which has resulted from an increasingly large population of migrant workers, Huang said.

Print E-mail Bookmark and Share

Go to Forum >>0 Comments

No comments.

Add your comments...

  • User Name Required
  • Your Comment
  • Racist, abusive and off-topic comments may be removed by the moderator.
Send your storiesGet more from China.org.cnMobileRSSNewsletter
主站蜘蛛池模板: 亚洲av日韩综合一区在线观看| 冬月枫亚洲高清在线观看| 亚洲欧美日韩在线观看| 韩国18福利视频免费观看| 在线观看视频免费123| 久久夜色精品国产欧美乱| 欧美多人换爱交换乱理伦片| 又粗又大又长又爽免费视频| 青青青青久久久久国产| 在线日本妇人成熟| jealousvue熟睡入侵中| 思99热精品久久只有精品| 亚洲一区二区三区久久久久| 欧美高清性XXXXHDVIDEOSEX| 人体大胆做受免费视频| 草草影院www色欧美极品| 国产成人久久精品二区三区| 99热在线观看精品| 扒美女内裤摸她的机机| 亚洲区小说区激情区图片区 | 久久久999久久久精品| 欧美日韩在线视频一区| 厨房切底征服麻麻| 色偷偷一区二区无码视频| 国产精品免费_区二区三区观看| 91手机看片国产福利精品| 成人私人影院在线版| 九色综合久久综合欧美97| 污污视频在线观看免费| 亚洲老熟女@TubeumTV| 美女大量吞精在线观看456| 国产欧美一区二区精品久久久| 99精品国产综合久久久久五月天| 娇小xxxxx性开放| 久久久午夜精品福利内容| 欧美多人野外伦交| 亚洲国产精品无码成人片久久| 白桦楚然小说叫什么| 国产va免费精品观看精品| 花季传媒app免费版网站下载安装| 国产免费小视频在线观看|