China's Minister of Agriculture Endorses GMOs

Date:03-11-2014

Genetically modified organisms “are good, they help to defend the crops from pests and do not cause any harm. I eat them regularly,” said the Chinese Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu commenting during the ongoing National People’s Congress in Beijing.

The minister’s statements “clear the way” for the use of GMOs – a much debated issue in the rest of the world – in farming nationwide in China, reported Asia News.

Currently, China only allows the use of GMOs in cotton and papaya crops. But in fact many other agricultural products - above all soybeans - are imported from the United States, Brazil and Argentina. All nations who use GMOs in cultivation. Han explained that "agricultural technology is a new concept for many people, so it is understandable that they are scared or worried. But it is time that people know and accept this reality."

According to the proponents of this technology, the use of GMO agricultural products improves growth and actually eliminates the need for pesticides. According to its critics, however, genetic modification is too invasive and eliminates the nutritional properties of plants and represents a potential risk to consumers.