The US Monsanto Agriculture Company is about to sell GM products to China, which has caused a dispute between the company and environmentalists. Recently, regardless of the opposition of Greenpeace’s China branch, Monsanto announced that it will launch genetically modified seeds into China as an important product of its strategy in China, which makes the dispute increasingly fierce.
Monsanto began working with Chinese companies in 1998 to sell genetically modified cotton seeds to China. Today, Monsanto has partnered with China Seed Group to sell insecticide-resistant corn in the Chinese market and plans to sell soybeans and seeds to Chinese farmers.
However, the Greenpeace China Division stated that farmers will be overly dependent on Monsanto because both seeds and pesticides need to be purchased from the company. “Farmers are always victims,†says Fang Lifeng, a member of the organization.
In 1998, China signed the International Convention for the Protection of New Plant Varieties, which not only protected the interests of Chinese companies but also protected the interests of foreign companies. But critics say that these regulations prohibit farmers from using the seeds of the previous year's harvest, resulting in unnecessary waste.
Michael Hansen, a senior scientist member of the independent nonprofit “consumer leagueâ€, believes that such a rule is equivalent to forcing farmers to buy more seeds.
Environmentalists also fear that transgenic plants will cross-pollinate non-transgenic plants. This will allow Monsanto and similar foreign companies to further control various types of seeds. Greenpeace stated that rice products had been cross-pollinated. A 2005 laboratory report pointed out that 5 of the 8 illegally-grown genetically modified rice found in China came from Monsanto.
However, Monsanto said that the convention does not prevent seed reserves, and the company’s revenue is heavily invested in research and development. The ultimate benefit is consumers and farmers. The company insists that it has never forced Chinese farmers to purchase seeds.
“Whether it is biotech products or ordinary seeds, farmers have the option to purchase,†said Monsanto spokesman John Combest. "Our products are just one of many options."
Carl Pray, a Chinese agricultural expert at New Jersey State University in the United States, said that the problem of storing seeds is a false proposition because, according to Chinese regulations, 99% of corn seeds and half of rice seeds are not allowed to be stored. . He said that Chinese farmers have become accustomed to buying seeds every year, whether they are genetically modified or common seeds.
Another interesting question is whether genetically modified seeds are really resistant to insecticides as the company claims. Stanford University's 2008 study showed that average seeds required farmers to spray 3.7 insecticides on a quarterly basis, whereas transgenic seeds only needed one or even no need.
However, Charles Benbrook, former director of the Department of Agriculture of the National Academy of Sciences, believes that farmers actually need to spray more pesticides after three years of use. As a result, the demand for pesticides increased by 122 million pounds over a nine-year period.
So far, China has only approved the use of genetically modified cotton seeds, while at the same time further understanding of other similar products. The risks associated with genetically modified products include allergic reactions, and opponents fear that they will have an unknown long-term effect on humans and animals.
At the same time, the Chinese government is also supervising the development of genetically modified seeds in the country. Before 2004, the state invested 199 million U.S. dollars. According to the Stamford report, a comprehensive promotion of genetically modified rice will bring about 4.2 billion US dollars in revenue for the Chinese economy.
Monsanto is stepping up its investment in China and plans to open a new research institute in China. Although it was pointed out that Monsanto had already made American farmers rely on the company's products, Perry said that such a situation would not occur in China, and the genetically modified products that are now being promoted are already very mature. (Quest summer)