July 13, 2010

 

Chinese soy faces competition from GM crop

Northeast China produces more than half of the country's soy but this crop is increasingly facing intense competition from cheaper, imported, genetically modified (GM) soy.

 

Prior to the 1950s, China was the world's top producer of soy, and the northeast produced 30%-50% of all soy produced in China. In 1953 the top spot was taken by the US, and in 1974 China was overtaken by Brazil and then in 1998 by Argentina as a top soy producer.

 

By 1996 China had become a net importer of soy, and by 2006 imported soy accounted for as much as 90% of all soy consumed by China.

 

Despite this, China still continues to export soy, most of which is organic soy produced in the northeast. It was the genetically modified soy that led to the decline of the soy from China.

 

In 1996, US farmers started growing a new GM soy designed to be resistant to the powerful herbicide Roundup produced by the American firm Monsanto Non-Roundup resistant crops would be killed together with the weeds.

 

Today 60% of all soy planted is genetically modified varieties. While genetic modification results in higher crop yields, there are risks involved.

 

"The use of GM crops has yet to take off in China," says researcher Han Tianfu from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. "As for herbicide-resistant soy, after extracting oil from the soybean, the remains are usually used to make animal feed. There is a chance that the herbicide could end up in our bodies through the food chain, and more research is needed to ensure that this does not happen."

 

Han acknowledges that it is only a matter of time before genetically modified soy makes its appearance in China.

 

In the meantime, the non-GM soy from northeast China has already gained a loyal following among the health-conscious. However, it is unclear if this could be a way through the crossroads.