BEIJING, China (Reuters) — China’s agriculture ministry says there is still no timetable for the commercialization of domestically developed genetically modified strains of corn and rice.
The country is already the world’s top buyer of GM soy.
The ministry granted safety certificates for its first GM rice and corn in 2009 but has refused to authorize commercial production.
“For GMO products, we are taking active but cautious measures,” vice agriculture minister Chen Xiaohua said.
Imported GM soy and corn are already used as livestock feed in China, but winning acceptance for the more widespread use of GMOs is hard to accept in a country frequently hit by food scares.
Chinese scientists have criticized the ministry for not moving forward on commercializing the technology. They claim China is facing a growing food gap that can be properly addressed only through the use of genetic modification.
“We will actively strengthen scientific research and develop new strains with our own intellectual property rights … while we will be cautious in commercialization and application to ensure safety of the products,” said Chen.
