Ministry of Agriculture approves two kinds of imported transgenic cotton

Recently, the Argentine State News Agency stated in a report that China has also ratified the three export licenses for genetically modified soybeans and genetically modified corn in China.

The reporter learned from the Ministry of Agriculture that up till now, the GM crops approved for import this year have included three kinds of soybeans, two kinds of corn and two types of cotton. The three soybean transgenic characteristics were herbicide-tolerant, insect-resistant, and insect-resistant herbicides, respectively, and were approved on June 6, 2013. The two types of corn are characterized by drought tolerance and quality improvement. The two types of cotton are characterized by herbicide resistance and insect resistance.

The above seven kinds of crops are used for processing raw materials, which are imported by Monsanto Far East Co., Ltd., Syngenta Crop Protection Co., Ltd. and BASF Agrochemicals Co., Ltd. respectively. Among them, Monsanto Far East Co., Ltd. is a large importer of genetically modified crops, and most of the imported genetically modified crops approved in 2012 have been submitted for review.

The import of the aforementioned seven GM crops is valid from 2013 and the deadline is between 2016 and 2018.

According to the reporter’s 2012 GMO approval list, a total of 12 GM crops were approved last year, including soybeans, cotton, corn, and rapeseed. The main transgenic features were insect resistance and herbicide resistance. This approval form was made public on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture on June 18.

The main body for the import and export approval of genetically modified crops is the National Agricultural Genetically Modified Organism Safety Committee, which issues the approval number for the “Agricultural Basic Certification Certificate” for approved crops.

China has approved the import of eight genetically modified soybeans as processing raw materials. Genetically modified crops have always been the focus of the media and public attention. For the approval of the import of the above-mentioned genetically modified crops, Peng Yufa, Deputy Director of the Agriculture Genetically Modified Organism Safety Committee, recently stated through the website of the Ministry of Agriculture that our country has The safety review of the new varieties of GM soybeans was very careful, and it took three years from application to certification.

Peng Yufa said that if the herbicide resistant soybean CV127 was submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture in March 2010, the organization carried out verification tests on authenticity, food safety, and environmental safety. After completing the test in March 2012, it submitted a security certificate application. The Ministry of Agriculture approved the issuance of a certificate for the import of agricultural genetically modified organisms for processing raw materials on June 13, 2013, as reviewed by the Committee on Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms. The situation is similar for other GM crops.

Regarding the industry’s concerns about import volume, Peng Yufa explained that soybean imports themselves have no restrictions on quotas and other trade measures, and the level of imports is market behavior. According to domestic demand, in recent years, soybean imports have reached more than 50 million tons each year. According to the current varieties and technical levels, 400 million mu of cultivated land are needed for planting, and China does not have so much reserve arable land.

In recent years, the number of imported soybeans in China has increased year after year. By 2012, the total amount of imported soybeans has reached 58.38 million tons. Since 1997, a total of eight genetically modified soybean imports have been approved for use as raw materials for processing in China.

China has always had fierce disputes over the safety of genetically modified crops for the sixth largest country in the world for the cultivation of genetically modified crops, and the scientific and technological community has not been conclusive. The proponents believe that after years of cultivation practices and technological improvements, a large number of genetically modified crops have been proven to be safe and harmless to the human body and the environment, and their opposition to their promotion is more due to the lack of understanding of genetically modified and traditional agricultural forces. "."

The opponents believe that the birth date of transgenic crops is not long enough to prove that it has no side effects on the human body and the environment, and that imports of a large number of genetically modified crops are also prone to impact traditional agriculture.

As the advantages and disputes of genetically modified crops are extremely obvious, China currently adopts a conservative import system for overseas genetically modified crops, that is, a limited import under the examination and approval system. The contents of the examination and approval include the environmental safety, safety of use, safety levels, and overseas approval status of crops. Wait. In addition, the commercialization of genetically modified grain crops has not yet been liberalized, and commercial planting of genetically modified grain seeds is not allowed.

According to the annual report released by ISAAA in March this year, the top five countries in the world are the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, and India, and the sixth is China. The planting area is about 4 million hectares, mainly insect-resistant cotton.