Beijing, China
January 26, 2008
By Wu Jiao,
China Daily via SEAMEO SEARCA
China strictly supervises its transgenic rice research and
production, and no such seed has been approved for the market,
according to agriculture officials.
"Scientists are still conducting research on transgenic rice,"
Yang Xiongnian, deputy director of the science, technology and
education division under the Ministry of Agriculture, said on
Friday.
" We are at the last stage of safety evaluation."
Unlike some countries which promoted transgenic agricultural
products mainly for commercial reasons, food and environmental
safety are top priorities for China, Yang told China Daily.
Research has mainly been carried out in Hunan and Hubei
provinces, with a variety of transgenic rice seeds being tested,
Yang said.
But he noted the benefits of transgenic rice have yet to be
proved.
According to regulations, transgenic plants must undergo lab
experiments, pilot tests and production experiments before they
get safety certificates for commercial promotion.
But even after all of these steps are taken, market acceptance
is a crucial factor.
Yang cited cases in the United States, where some transgenic
wheat seeds, although proven safe, were not accepted by
consumers.
China has so far approved transgenic cotton, potato, miniento
and morning glory seeds, but only transgenic cotton seeds have
proven popular with farmers.
China's annual cotton production exceeded 7 million tons last
year.
Figures from the management office of Genetically Modified
Organism (GMO) Biosafety under the ministry show that - between
2002 and 2007 - it approved experiments of 2,361 transgenic
seeds of a variety of agriculture plants, with 1,109 receiving
safety certificates.
But no transgenic rice seeds have been approved for the market,
said the office director.
Huang Dafang, an expert in GMO research at the Chinese Academy
of Agricultural Sciences, said earlier that transgenic
technology should be "bravely explored" if it benefits people.
But Beijing resident Hu Xiao said he "wants more information on
these new types of food" to make free choices between transgenic
and common products. |
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