In a surprise U-turn, China’s Ministry of Agriculture has decided not
to continue with a program which developed genetically-modified rice
and corn. Some environmentalists say public concerns about GM crops
played a key role in the decision.
On August 17, when these permits were up for renewal, the
Ministry of Agriculture decided not to extend them. In 2009, the
ministry's Biosafety Committee issued approval certificates to
develop the two crops, rice and corn.
Developed by the Huazhong Agricultural University, near Wuhan, it
was hoped that the GMO strains would help to reduce pesticide use
by 80 percent, while raising yields by as much as 8 percent, said
Huang Jikun, the chief scientist with the Chinese Academy of
Sciences, told Reuters in 2009. It is illegal to sell
genetically-modified rice on the open market in China.
However in July, GM rice was found on sale in a large supermarket
in Wuhan, which is just across the Yangtze River from the
Huazhong Agricultural University, where the product was
developed, which caused a public outcry. more
*********************************************************************
No comments:
Post a Comment