Chinese government urged to plant GM crops
align: justify;”>China is currently one of the largest consumers of GM produce, but the country depends on imports instead of growing and selling its own crops. Academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering have appealed to the central government to increase the production of genetically modified crops in the country.
Li Ning, the academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering said that the petition has been signed by more than 60 academicians and has been submitted to the government. While talking to reporters, Li said that the GM crop situation in China is very serious. Li said, “Since 1996, when the United States started applying GM technology to planting soya beans,the cost of soya dropped dramatically, and China began to need to import such products”.
Huang Dafang, the researcher from Biotechnology Research Institute at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences said that cotton is the only one among the GM crops in China which can be planted and sold on a large scale. Dafang went on to say that this is a threat to food security in China, especially at a time when there is an increase in international food prices.
The Ministry of Agriculture in 2009 have certified two kinds of GM rice which were developed by the university, but the certificates will expire on August 17, 2014.
Photo Credits: Trust
