安全性争论和转基因作物一样越来越多

生物谷

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The global sowing of genetically modified (GM) crops will continue rising in the next few years, gaining more of a foothold in the world's food supply, but millions still need convincing that the food is safe to eat.

For once, green groups can agree with the biotech industry on one thing: with Brazil and China now part of the growing family of major GM producers, the area of land devoted to gene-spliced crops across the world must inevitably rise.

The United States, Argentina, Canada and China are the world's leading growers of biotech crops. More than half of China's cotton crop, for example, is now genetically modified.

But there are doubts about how far the expansion can go, with questions lingering on China's commitment to GM crops and whether famine-hit Third World nations really want GM food aid.

In 2003, six countries grew 99 percent of the world's transgenic crop area, according to ISAAA, a non-profit group that backs biotechnology's role in the war on hunger.

"In the next five years, biotech crops are expected to grow to 100 million hectares planted by 10 million farmers in 25 or more countries," said Clive James, ISAAA's chairman and founder.

Most of those using the technology would be small Third World farmers. Maize and cotton would drive the growth, with soy production likely to rise after Brazil's recent approval of herbicide-tolerant beans.

ISAAA's estimate for the global GM crop area in 2003 was 167.3 million acres, 15 percent higher than in 2002.

"There is a need for more acreages of grain. That will come from Asia to some extent, but also Latin America, Africa and Australia possibly as well," said Christian Verschueren, director general of CropLife International, a Brussels-based network representing the plant science industry.

Australia, which does not regulate GMO use in animal feed, approved its first GM food crop, canola, in July. Commercial GM crops are blocked by short-term bans by state governments.

India approved three varieties of Bt cotton in 2002 for commercial production and is conducting field trials for several crops including mustard, rice, potatoes and cauliflower.

International environment group Greenpeace broadly agreed with the likely rise in global plantings, but said they would continue to be dominated by just a handful of countries.

"The acreage is probably going to rise. On the whole, I think there will be a slight increase," said Dan Hindsgaul of Greenpeace's Genetic Engineering Campaign.

EYES ON EU BIOTECH POLICY

One problem is what to do with the extra production, which will add to the world supply of maize, soy and cotton -- not a food crop as such, but its seeds can be crushed for animal feed.

The biotech industry insists that, with crops genetically altered to resist disease and insects, much of this can be used to help feed hungry people in the world's poorest countries.

Green groups disagree, citing corporate greed as the reason behind the industry's push to raise GM crop sowings and point to the reluctance of several African nations to accept GM food aid.

Last June, Zambia's government rejected thousands of tonnes of GM maize, while millions of its people faced food shortages.

The European Union (news - web sites), a bastion of anti-biotech sentiment with strong consumer antipathy to GM crops, has been drawn into the row. Biotech companies say EU policy is to blame for some Third World reluctance to accept GM grain for fear that GM material might appear in those countries' own exports to Europe.

"What drives some of these (skeptical) countries is the European policy toward biotechnology," Verschueren said. "It is restricting the freedom of choice of farmers in developing countries. It has a domino effect," he told Reuters.

Washington has accused Europe of undermining efforts to combat famine and poverty in Africa by blocking the use of GM crops on unfounded and unscientific fears.

"Europe has been very vocal in its skepticism about GMOs and of course that travels everywhere. This is what the industry is afraid of, that this will spread," Greenpeace's Hindsgaul said.

CHINA HESITANT

China, a major producer of traditional and biotech crops such as cotton and tomato, may now be hesitating on how to proceed with its GM capability as a result of the EU's policies, industry observers say. Some provinces want to remain GM-free.

"There is growing concern among policymakers about the impact of the ongoing global biotechnology debate on China's agricultural trade, particularly import restrictions in EU countries," said Jikun Huang at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

China faced a dilemma on how to proceed on further commercialization of GM crops, he said.

The key question now is whether to grow large-scale GM food crops, particularly soybeans. As the world's leading soy importer, China's decisions will have an immediate impact on exporters such as Brazil, where China was the top buyer in 2003.

"When it comes to soy imports, they (China) have been playing the GM card a couple of times...and we've also seen a genuine concern on some of the biosafety issues. Consumers are starting to react," Greenpeace's Hindsgaul said. (additional reporting by Michael Byrnes in Sydney, Nao Nakanishi in Hong Kong, Naveen Thukral in Delhi)