China may lift ban on modified rice

As the world's largest rice market, whatever decision China makes about genetically modified rice could have implications around the globe. The country first allowed the sale of genetically modified cotton, corn, tomatoes, and soy in the 1990s. But Beijing suspended the commercialization of any new varieties of genetically modified organisms in 2000, when global concerns crested about the potential long-terms effects of tinkering with the genetic makeup of food staples. Now, experts such as Huang Ji Kun of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing say the Chinese government is close to lifting this ban. The Chinese government has invested $500 million to research genetically modified foods, more than any other government except the United States. Four companies that make genetically modified seeds -- three local ones and one connected with St. Louis-based Monsanto Co. -- have filed applications with the Chinese government to permit the sale of their versions of genetically modified rice. Local proponents of the genetic modification, including China's Ministry of Science and Technology, Monsanto, and local manufacturers of genetically modified products, as well as several leading agronomists, economists, and scientists, say it's the most efficient and ecological way for China to feed its 1.3 billion people and raise rural incomes. Huang said his research shows that genetically modified crops reduce pesticide use by about 80 percent. ``That saves farmers lots of money, and it's also good for the environment," he said. But opponents, including some officials in China's Ministry of Agriculture, environmentalists, citizens groups, and some dissenting scientists are concerned that not enough research has gone into how these crops -- modified to make them more pest-resistant or easier to grow -- can impact public health, reduce biodiversity and harm the environment. ``Who wants to eat a crop that kills pests who try to eat it?" said Li Ming Fu, a farmer from Xi Shuang Ban Na village in southern Yunnan province who teaches local youths how to farm. ``It's not natural. . . . No one I know likes the idea." Genetically modified seeds are developed by fusing natural seeds with genes from micro-organisms, other plants, and even animals. Sometimes the alien gene is inserted to help the plant produce toxins that attack any insects trying to eat it. For example, a bacteria called Bacillus thuringiensis is often added to corn and cotton seeds because its toxins make pests lethargic and sleepy. This reduces the damage pests can do and allows farmers to use less pesticides. Another technique for genetic modification is to use the alien gene to make the crop tolerant to a specific pesticide, usually one the seed manufacturer makes. For example, Monsanto's line of RoundUp Ready genetically modified seeds are resistant to the company's powerful RoundUp brand of herbicide, so farmers can use it to kill nearby weeds while leaving their genetically modified crop unharmed. This raises the land's productivity because the weeds compete with crops for field resources, such as fertilizer and light. Though public concern over the impact of genetically modified organisms (also called GMOs) on health and ecology has limited their acceptance in Europe, in the United States the use of genetically modified corn, soya, and other crops is rising. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the commercialization of Liberty Link genetically modified rice, now owned by Bayer of Germany, although the Environmental Protection Agency has not signed off on the use of a complementary herbicide called glufosinate or by its brand name Liberty. In 2001, Aventis Cropscience, which then made Liberty Link, was forced to bury 5 million tons of the rice in a Texas landfill because it was found to be contaminated with glufosinate. Whatever China decides to do about genetically modified foods will have ramifications worldwide, according to Robert L. Paarlberg, a professor of political science at Wellesley College, who recently wrote an article on the subject in the online edition of Issues in Science and Technology. ``China does not want to seem out of step with the region of Asia and be seen to be embracing a technology that's come to be so closely associated with Monsanto and the US," he said in a telephone interview. ``But China is the world's largest producer and consumer of rice, and if it does commercialize GMO rice it will be a significant step that will be closely watched by other big developing countries." Though Chinese opinion polls indicate that most people are against genetically modified crops, the government appears to be trying to change that. In recent months a number of articles talking up such crops have been appearing in the state-controlled media, and several government-controlled bodies such as the Chinese Academy of Science have also amplified their endorsement of genetically modified food. China's leaders have been searching for ways to placate peasant farmers, who make just about $350 a year and have been chiefly responsible for the 87,000 public protests across China last year. The promise of increased yields is also attractive to Chinese planners, since China's total food production is falling about 5 percent a year, mainly because of water shortages and urbanization. Huang co-authored a paper in the journal Science last April that found that farmers growing genetically modified cotton developed by Monsanto made about $225 more per hectare per year than farmers using traditional cotton, mainly because genetically modified crops need less pesticide and yield more. And the promise of reducing pesticide use in this country, which uses twice the amount per ton of food as the United States, is also an emotional issue with the government, which has made cleaning up China's environment a top priority. Those positives are tempered, though, said Ma Tianjie, a campaigner with Greenpeace in Beijing, by the questions that still remain about genetically modified foods. ``No one knows how eating GMO food affects humans over the long term," and his group worries that the toxins they are imbued with could be harmful, he said. There is not enough good quality, unbiased research to determine that genetically modified crops are truly safe, he and several other environmentalists said. Ma said another key concern is that genetically modified seeds could outcompete natural seeds in the field and significantly reduce genetic biodiversity. The activists also say that genetically modified crops could usher in the evolution of a new generation of pesticide-resistant pests, which would make crops more vulnerable to field losses in the long run. And environmentalists have criticized the commercial aspects of genetically modified seeds, which are patented and generally sell at a premium. Since crops grown from genetically altered seeds cannot be used as seeds themselves, as traditional ones can, farmers have to buy new seeds every year. ``The commercial system GMOs create trap farmers into using expensive seeds and pesticides from a single company," Ma said, often throwing them into debt and threatening to cede control of a country's agricultural system to foreign GMO manufacturers. Ma said he feels the Chinese government should encourage organic farming methods rather than genetic modifications if it wants to help farmers earn more and give consumers what they want. Farmer Li Ming Fu said he uses no pesticides at all and protects his crops by using an age-old technique called rice-fish" farming. Under this system, certain fish that like to eat insects are introduced into a rice field as a way of controlling pests. But the point may already be moot. Last April, investigations revealed that some Chinese companies were already selling genetically modified rice illegally. Though the government promised to crack down on the problem, when German food testing company Genescan recently tested rice being sold in southern Guangdong province, much of it turned out to be genetically modified. "Source":[ http://www.truthabouttrade.org/article.asp?id=5956]

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