China must hold its own place in the field of GMOs
Recently, Vice Minister of Agriculture Yu Xinrong held a press conference on agricultural work. When answering questions on GMOs, he said that China must hold its own place in GM technology. At present, China has not approved the commercial production of any GM staple food crops.
On food security
The rice bowl of the Chinese people must mainly hold Chinese grain
When responding to questions on food security at the press conference, Yu Xinrong said that China's current food security situation is very good. In 2014, China achieved an “eleventh consecutive increase” in total grain output, with total grain output reaching a new high of 1,214.2 billion jin, and grain yield per unit area also reaching a new high of 359 kg. In addition, China's per capita grain availability is at a historic high, approaching 900 jin.
Yu Xinrong said that China's grain imports last year reached their highest level, with total imports of 100 million tons, but more than 70% of that 100 million tons was soybeans, while grain imports last year accounted for only 3.2% of that year's total grain output. This is because the prices of grain varieties on the international market are generally lower than domestic ones.
He said that in the process of adjusting the agricultural structure and transforming the development model, ensuring that grain production does not fall sharply and that grain production capacity does not decline must be regarded as one of the important criteria for judging whether the “adjustment” and “transformation” are successful.
“At all times and under all circumstances, we must attach importance to agriculture, especially to grain production, and place it in a position of top priority.” Yu Xinrong said that the rice bowl of the Chinese people must always be held firmly in our own hands, and the bowl must mainly contain Chinese grain.
On GMOs
No approval for commercial production of GM staple food crops
Yu Xinrong said that the Ministry of Agriculture's attitude toward GMOs is, first, to actively support independent innovation in research and occupy the commanding heights of agricultural biotechnology; second, to be cautious in promotion and ensure safety; and third, to manage according to law.
“At present, people have doubts and concerns about GMOs, and there are debates in society about the GMO issue. From the perspective of the history of human scientific and technological progress, this is a normal phenomenon.” Yu Xinrong said that GMOs have not been around for a long time, and society's understanding of this technology still requires a process of continuous deepening.
He said that in order to ensure the long-term and effective supply of grain and other major agricultural products, it is necessary to take the path of scientific and technological innovation, including in the high-tech field of GMOs, where China must hold its own place. “I think that with the deepening of science popularization and the development of practice, the public's doubts can gradually be reduced.”
Yu Xinrong stressed that China has only approved the commercial cultivation of GM cotton and papaya, and has not approved the commercial production of any GM staple food crops. “In the future, the Ministry of Agriculture will cautiously carry out promotion and application.”
On the development of the dairy industry
The quality and safety of raw milk continue to improve
At the press conference, a reporter asked about the situation at the beginning of the year in which dairy farmers in some places dumped milk, sold cows, or even slaughtered cows. Yu Xinrong responded that, from an international perspective, global dairy production increased significantly in 2014, which led to a sharp drop in international milk prices and thereby drove a substantial increase in China's imports of milk powder.
“The increase in domestic market consumption could not keep up with the large-scale imports of international milk powder and the large-scale increase in domestic dairy production, which caused the domestic purchase price of fresh milk, especially for farmers, to fall from 3.25 yuan per kg at the beginning of last year to 2.85 yuan in the third quarter.” Yu Xinrong said that another relatively long-term reason is that domestic dairy cattle breeding and dairy processing, whether in scale, cost, or industrial linkage, all lag behind the development of the international dairy industry.
He said that the Ministry of Agriculture has carried out special rectification and implemented monitoring plans for the quality and safety of raw milk for 6 consecutive years, with a cumulative total of 125,000 batches sampled and inspected. The results show that the quality and safety status of raw milk is reassuring and continues to improve.