September 17, 2013
China approves import of GM soy, corn, rapeseed and cotton
China has granted the import of a list of genetically modified (GM) crops including soy, corn, rapeseed, cotton and sugar beet, in response to public doubt on whether the country has enough standards on what GM crops can be planted domestically and what can be imported.
In addition, these plants have to gain a safety certificate issued by Chinese authorities. Cotton, rice, corn and papaya are issued with a valid safety certificate, Xie Jiajian, a research fellow with the Institute of Plant Protection under the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) said, adding that the certificates can be traced by the public on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture.
However, not all certified food is suitable to be planted for commercial purposes. Xie said that in China only cotton and papaya are allowed, meaning that anyone can plant it. Ahead of certificate issuance, there is a long process.
Xie also said that the research and development companies have to first file applications to the State Agricultural GM Crop Bio-safety Committee for review, and that these applications can only be approved after ministerial-level discussions.
Fang Zhouzi, an expert in chemical biology, said that the company must apply for a commercial plantation license within the validity period after it has been granted with a certificate.
"Some crops are proved to be safe, but they are not allowed for commercial use because the seeds are low output, which is not suitable for mass plantation," said Fang.
Fang said that almost all papaya and soyoil we can see are genetically modified, the difference is that papaya is not labelled as GM since it''s not packaged food, and soyoil is labelled in accordance with the country''s law.
GM food is proved safe, but it is impossible to have food that is absolutely safe, Fang said.