Foreign media: some people are not confident that China is vigorously promoting GM

Reference News Network reported on October 10 that foreign media said that China was beginning to vigorously promote genetically modified crops in order to increase food supply. But not all consumers are reassured.

Bloomberg Business Weekly reported on Oct. 8 that the Chinese government tried to convince Zhou Guangxiu that the porridge she wanted for her son was safe, but it was not easy.

Reported that Zhou Guangxiu works in a recycling station in Weihai. She said her concern stemmed from an online article saying that GM crops could lead to infertility among Asians, a conspiracy by the United States against China. She feared that if her 21-year-old son ate porridge, he would have no offspring.

As the world's most populous country and the largest consumer of rice, soybeans and wheat, China is beginning to vigorously promote genetically modified crops to increase food supply. China has accepted the technology that is being used around the world to increase production. China's Ministry of Agriculture said on September 28 that it would correct people's perception that GM is dangerous through media, seminars and street advertising.

"In China, there are many unscientific views against genetically modified crops, if not paid attention to, it will affect the government's support for the development of biotechnology." "The Ministry of Agriculture may feel the need for some education," said Li Qiang, chairman of Shanghai Huiyi Consulting Co., Ltd.

Reported that Xi Jinping said at the Central Rural Work Conference in December last year that as a new thing, the society has disputes and doubts about GM technology, which is normal. He said that China should not only ensure the safety of biotechnology, but also not allow large foreign companies to occupy the market for genetically modified agricultural products.

Chinese consumers'concerns about GM crops are also linked to broader food safety issues. Several exposure incidents have also raised concerns, including rice contaminated by carcinogenic heavy metals, fake mutton, gutter oil and adulterated baby milk powder. According to a survey conducted by Pew Research Center in 2012, about 41% of Chinese consumers think food safety is a "big problem", compared with 12% in 2008.

While the country vigorously promotes genetically modified crops, the proportion of meat on the table is increasing, which requires more corn, wheat and soybean as feed. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, China ranks first in pork consumption, second in chicken consumption and third in beef consumption, after the United States and Brazil.

In December last year, the Chinese government announced a new food safety strategy to allow the import of corn as feed, while ensuring the self-sufficiency of wheat and rice.

According to the USDA report, China's demand for corn and soybeans will continue to increase as the economy grows.

Zhang Xiaoping, chief representative of the American Soybean Export Association in Beijing, said by telephone on September 30 that most of the soybeans imported from China are grown with genetically modified seeds, some of which are naturally tolerant to Monsanto's Nongda herbicide.

China's largest supplier is the United States, while 93% of corn and 94% of soybeans grown in the United States are genetically modified, the report said. In addition to the United States, the largest producer of GM crops, Brazil and Argentina planted 64.7 million hectares of GM maize, soybeans and cotton in 2013, while India and Canada planted 21.8 million hectares, according to the International Acquisition Authority for Agricultural Biotechnology Applications.

"China has no choice but to use this technology in large supplier countries." Zhang Xiaoping said.

Concerns about the safety of genetically modified crops are not unique to China, the report said. According to the International Acquisition Authority for Agricultural Bioengineering Applications, only 27 countries in the world planted GM crops in 2013, and at least 60 countries had GM component labeling requirements, including Japan, Brazil and the European Union as a whole. European Union surveys also show consumer objections, fearing risks such as human resistance to antibiotics and the emergence of herbicide-resistant superweeds.