In 2005, Greenpeace exposed this behavior. Some villagers claimed that there are still illegal cultivation and GM rice seeds are also sold in secret.
(Reporter Chao Xu from Wuhan, Beijing, on the 19th) When Caixin.com reporter surveyed in Zhongzhou Village, Wulijie Town, Jiangxia District, Wuhan City in early March, many villagers stated that there was a case of planting genetically modified rice in the village.
At present, China has not yet approved any kind of genetically modified staple foods for commercial production, and private cultivation is illegal.
According to Greenpeace’s allegations, the chain of illicitly cultivated GM rice from rice fields to the people’s table was not interrupted. The organization disclosed to the media on March 15th that Zhongbai Warehousing of Fruit Lake Road Store in Wuhan City and Huangxing South Road Store of Changsha City in Walmart detected GM rice.
The Ministry of Agriculture’s Information Office publicly responded the following day: “A website has reported news of illegal GM rice sales in individual supermarkets in Hunan and Hubei provinces. The Ministry of Agriculture has instructed the agricultural administrative departments of the two provinces to investigate and verify with the relevant departments in the province and will announce them in a timely manner. Survey results."
Compared with traditional hybrid rice, transgenic insect-resistant rice can significantly reduce the use of pesticides, and it is therefore welcomed by many villagers. The villagers in Zhongzhou Village, Wulijie Town, Jiangxia District, Wuhan City, vividly described the former as “drug fighters†and the latter as “do not fight drugsâ€.
A young villager said that many people in the village are unwilling to do farm work. Young wives have to get up until three days before they get up. Everyone is willing to pay people to fight pesticides. Compared with “drug fightingâ€, “do not fight drugs†saves time and effort, and spends less than 100 yuan on pesticides per acre. Moreover, money is a trivial matter. If it is eaten by powerful insects, the loss may be several hundred dollars, or even thousands of dollars.
In appearance, there is no difference between traditional hybrid rice and transgenic insect-resistant rice. Traditional hybrid rice and rice fields with transgenic insect-resistant rice are easy to distinguish. The former looks a little embarrassed because the medicine is no better, and it can be eaten by insects; the latter is all green and straight, because the insects do not eat.
Some villagers said that there is no kind of genetically modified rice. "After the reporter was exposed in 2005, he wouldn't plant it."
In 2005, Greenpeace revealed to the media that illegal planting of genetically modified rice occurred in Hubei, and that GM rice had already entered the market. The Hubei Provincial Department of Agriculture later “refuted†Greenpeace’s allegations of detection of genetically modified rice by Carrefour Shisheng Store in Wuhan, but at the same time, it also acknowledged that three companies, including Wuhan Keni Plant Genetics Co., Ltd., were undertaking the GM rice production trial process. The unauthorized expansion of seed production has resulted in penalties for agricultural law enforcement agencies and the eradication of genetically modified rice that has not been planted in accordance with the requirements for approval.
Villagers also said that many people in the village are still planting genetically modified rice, and some unscrupulous traders are also secretly selling seeds of genetically modified rice.
An elderly villager also brought Caixin reporters to the seed station in the town to purchase the seeds of genetically modified rice. After coming out of the seed station warehouse, the villager had 11 pounds of rice seeds in his hands, three bags of 3 pounds, and a pack of two pounds in bulk.
On the 3 pound bags, the words “Anti-You 559†and “Cili County Seed Company of Hunan Province†were written, and there was no logo for transgenic insect-resistant rice. However, the above-mentioned villagers affirmed that this is the seed of genetically modified rice. The average hybrid rice seed is 10 yuan per catty, but this seed is 25 yuan per catty. "Seed stands are hidden and sold, and people who know can buy it."
The attitude of the villagers differs whether or not to eat GM rice. Some villagers said that “do not fight drugs†can eat, but there is no “fighting medicine†and it tastes like brown rice. However, some villagers mistakenly believe that “do not fight drugs†is bad for the body, and insects do not eat anyone.
Without supervision, it is easy to illegally import genetically modified rice into the market and lead to further demonization of transgenic technology.
On March 18, the "Daily Economic News" reported that GM rice seeds were once sold in the Miluo County and it was suspected that it had been planted for many years. Some netizens immediately commented: “Hunan people are blessed! Congratulations and hope that Hunan will therefore reduce fertility and reduce population.â€
In fact, there is currently no conclusive evidence that genetically modified foods affect human fertility.