China Pushes For GM Crops
16 February 2010 In its first policy document of the year, China has stated its desire to move forward with large-scale planting of genetically modified (GM) crops. The “Number One Document” — an annual publication that sets the agenda for that year’s major work, issued by the Communist Party and State Council, was published on Jan.31 and included the news that China will “industrialise” GM crop farming.
Bt cotton is already grown on an industrial scale in the country, which now wants to add Bt rice and phytase corn — a feedstock which would eliminate the need to feed extra phosphate to poultry and pigs, saysSciDev.net. Huang Dafang, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences’ Biotechnology Research Institute predicts that China will be growing both crops on a large scale within 3–5 years. Both crops were granted biosafety certificates by China’s Ministry of Agriculture in November 2009.
The development of new GM crops is one of the 16 major projects listed in China’s plan for scientific and technological development until 2020. China’s plans include the development of pest- and disease-resistant GM rice, rapeseed, corn and soy. Research will focus on yield, quality, nutritional value and drought tolerance.
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