China's Food Species Crisis: Expansion of Monopoly Operation of Foreign Seed Industry in China

The third “highest specification” meeting of China Seed Industry was held on May 9 in Changsha, Hunan.

Many people in the industry said that this meeting is "the most important meeting that the seed industry has never had since the founding of the People's Republic of China." This statement was soon corroborated by the relevant circumstances of the participants, meeting specifications, and so on.

In addition to the participation of Hui Liangyu, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and vice premier of the State Council, 15 national ministries such as the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Land and Resources attended the meeting. Other participants were mainly officials of the agricultural administrative departments of the provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities). Only a few scientific research institutes and seed companies obtained the qualifications for participation.

One of the important topics of this meeting is to implement the "Opinions on Accelerating the Development of Modern Crop Seed Industry" issued by the State Council on April 18 (hereinafter referred to as "opinions").

Wen Jiabao, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Premier Wen Jiabao of the State Council, had previously made important instructions on the development of China's seed industry, emphasizing that China is a big country in agriculture, accelerating the development of crop seed industry is a strategic choice for building modern agriculture and safeguarding national food security, and it is implementing technology to develop agriculture. An important way to transform agricultural development methods.

Vice Premier Hui Liangyu attended the meeting and also stressed that "the country will rely on agriculture, and agriculture and planting will take the lead."

It is reported that the "Opinions" issued by the State Council for the first time clearly defined the national strategic status of seed industry, and proposed that it would substantially increase the market access threshold, promote mergers and acquisitions, and foster the "integration of breeding and pushing" with core competitiveness and international competitiveness. A series of specific support measures for the seed companies.

The fact that occurred before this is that in the background of the internationalization of seed industry, foreign seed companies have entered the Chinese seed market in recent years, causing some seed companies in China to face the squeezed seed market, the market share being eroded, and their own varieties being foreign. Seed substitution and other difficulties have brought tremendous pressure on the development of China's seed industry and endanger China's food security. The industry is "impatient".

How to ensure the country's control and leadership over the seed industry, and increase and strengthen China's national seed industry, and firmly control the "blood" of Chinese food, has become an important topic in this country.

Foreign pioneers expand China's famous pioneer Pioneer International Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Pioneer") and has twice entered China.

The first time was in the late 1980s, but that pioneer company did not open the Chinese market; the second time was the beginning of this century.

In 2002, Pioneer Co., Ltd. established a joint venture Shandong Denghai Pioneer Seed Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Denghai Pioneer”) with the largest corn seed production enterprise in China—Shandong Denghai Seed Industry. In 2003, Pioneer set up Tieling in Liaoning. Pioneer Breeding Station established a joint venture breeding company; in 2006, Pioneer Co., Ltd. established Dunhuang Seed Industry Co., Ltd. with Dunhuang Seed Industry Co., Ltd. in Gansu Province ("Donghuang Pioneer").

The relevant policy stipulates that the grain varieties of the joint venture company cannot be imported directly from abroad. Pioneer companies have adopted the Tieling Pioneer Seed Research Co., Ltd. in China to breed and then hand it over to Denghai Pioneer and Dunhuang Pioneer for sale. Dunhuang Pioneer is responsible for the spring corn belt in Northeast China and Inner Mongolia, while Denghai Pioneer is responsible for the summer corn belt in the Huang-Huai-Hai region.

By 2010, the planting area of ​​the company's corn variety “Xianyu 335” in China will be more than 30 million mu. With related species, the total area is estimated to be approximately 60 million mu, accounting for about 13% of the total corn area.

In just a few years, Pioneer has suddenly become the "crocodile" of China's seed market. "The Xianyue 335's net profit last year was nearly 600 million yuan. If you add various decks, its net profit in the Chinese corn seed market may reach 40% to 60% of the entire market. That's more than 10%. The planting area, in exchange for nearly 60% of the profits, is very frightening.” Li Shaoming, general manager of the Beijing Golden Agricultural Agro-industrial Co., Ltd. and professor at China Agricultural University, is obviously “shocked” by this.

Pioneer is not the first, nor will it be the last one.

In fact, since the end of the 1980s, since the giants of transnational seed industries such as Monsanto and Pioneer entered the Chinese market one after another, there have been more than 70 foreign companies (including joint ventures) registered in China. At the same time, the value of the domestic seed market has also grown to more than 50 billion yuan, making it the second largest global seed market after the United States.

“Now the seeds of foreign large-scale crops are basically set up through joint ventures in China and are produced and sold in China. (Cooperative breeding) is nothing more than that the varieties are taken directly from abroad to China for screening. Once the screening is finished, the varieties will be suitable for China. Began to produce in China, to achieve the integration of education, multiplication and promotion." Li Shaoming said.

For many joint venture companies, "although cooperative breeding, it will not teach you core technology. Nominally a joint venture, in fact, it is to share profits with you, other breeding, sales you can not control." United States corn breeding Expert Zhang Mingtang, consultant of China Corn Improvement Center, disclosed to China Economic Weekly.

According to insiders, Pioneer's next step may be to cooperate with Liaoning East Asian Seed Industry and Sichuan Agricultural High-tech Seed Industry to eliminate its competitors in the northeast and southwest regions and complete the research, production and marketing layout of corn seed industry in China.

The “secret weapon” pioneered by Pioneer is the introduction of technology to produce corn varieties. “Pioneer corn seed quality is very high, such as germination rate, it can ensure that every seed germinates, but Chinese seeds cannot do this. Domestic sowing is generally a hole three seeds, and then raise seedlings, because farmers are afraid One species does not germinate," Zhang Mingtang said.

In addition, Pioneer sells its products worldwide through a variety of methods, including setting up wholly-owned facilities, establishing joint ventures, and designating exclusive distributors. They adopted the “hunger marketing strategy”, which means that the seed price is fixed, but with limited supply, the distributor can only get some seeds even if they increase the price.

According to reports, after the “Xianyu 335”, Pioneer will also launch a series of higher-yield varieties such as “Xianyu 696” and “Xianyu 508”, which will be launched to the market at the right time and expected to occupy the market. Greater market share.

At the end of May, the reporter of the magazine had conducted communication and contact with the Pioneer Company's seed business department and the person in charge of the media on related issues. The other party stated that due to the travel of the person in charge of the China area, it was temporarily not acceptable for interviews.

According to Wen Baoxiang, Chairman of Beijing Beilangzhong Flower Company, after the “Seed Law” was enacted in China in 2000, the vegetable and flower seed markets were first opened to the public. The transnational seed industry pioneered vegetable and flower seeds as a breakthrough to enter the Chinese seed market.

"French companies have been involved in China's sugar beet seed market very early. Now they are all foreign species on the market. The locals are basically not even engaged in beet breeding. There are also sunflowers that are completely monopolized by foreign seeds." Li Shaoming said.

What is the "trick" of the rapid expansion of China's seed gene into U.S. patents?

Wan Jianmin, director of the Institute of Crop Research at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, told China Economic Weekly that such a long-standing story.

A multinational company discovered a kind of wild soybean that had very tough vitality beside an abandoned factory building in Shanghai. They deliberately collected it and extracted an antiviral gene from it. They applied for more than 100 patents in the United States through molecular markers. As a result, soybeans originating in China began to flourish in the hands of multinational corporations. As a result, the seed markets of soybeans such as Brazil and Argentina were gradually controlled.

After the Chinese farmers planted their own soybeans, they infringed on American patent rights.

“Because in the game rules of the international seed market, seed resources are not protected by intellectual property rights, only the genes are protected by intellectual property rights. We have no right to speak about this game rules.” Wan Jianmin said.

In this way, the tens of millions of seed resources that Chinese ancestors have been breeding for thousands of years have become the flesh of others. “You don’t give them, they say you are conservative and plan for the economy; you give them, they apply for patents from them and become their patented products.”

Perhaps this is a "microcosm" of the global expansion of multinational corporations.

In fact, as early as a century ago, multinational corporations began a similar "global expansion."

In 1908, the United States Monsanto completed its first acquisition plan - the acquisition of commercial acid company in Illinois, which began a global expansion. It began to be involved in plastics, synthetic rubber, flavorings, etc., but it did not achieve a satisfactory record.

Until the acquisition of a pharmaceutical company in the 1980s, Monsanto's main direction turned to the high-tech industry.

In the second year, Monsanto’s researchers changed the genes of plant cells for the first time in human history and achieved a major breakthrough in the field of biotechnology. This is considered to be a landmark biotechnology revolution in human history.

Since 1985 to 1993, Monsanto has undergone several major strategic reorganizations, gradually placing more emphasis on research and development in life sciences, agriculture, medicine, and food.

In May 1998, Monsanto paid US$2.3 billion to take over the US’s second-largest corn company, DeKalb. This made Monsanto quickly become the leader in the US corn market. This has an overwhelming 85% share of the U.S. cottonseed market and its global dominance in the cotton growing industry.

Subsequently, Monsanto spent another US$1.4 billion to purchase Cargill’s international seed trading business in Central America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

In May 1999, Monsanto and Cargill jointly invested 150 million U.S. dollars to establish a bio-agricultural development company. The "Wall Street Journal" commented that: "Monsanto has effectively controlled the global seed industry."

From an ordinary chemical company to becoming a “giant” in agriculture, Monsanto spent nearly a hundred years. It will only take a few short years for Monsanto to extend his tentacles overseas and complete global seed dominance.

In 2005, Monsanto became the world leader in genetically modified crops after acquiring Seminis. Also in 2009, just a few years later, Monsanto's global revenue of 11.7 billion U.S. dollars accounted for 65% to 70% of patent grants for genetically modified seeds and genetically modified technology.

Since focusing on biotechnology research and development more than 20 years ago, Monsanto has a total of more than 600 patents in biotechnology, not only far ahead of the US domestic seed companies, but also to leave behind their European counterparts.

With this development history, in recent years, cooperation between foreign-capital enterprises such as Monsanto, Pioneer, Syngenta, and Bayer and China’s scientific research units in exchange of variety resources and excavation of talents has caused many domestic industry professionals to believe that it is “controlled from the source”. China's seed industry "and" anxious. "

Domestic Seed Industry "Thirty Difficult to Stand"

In the more than 30 years of reform and opening up, compared with many industries, China's agriculture has opened to the latest and opened to the minimum extent.

The domestic seed market is even more so. The implementation of the “Seed Law” in 2000 opened the marketization process of China's seed industry and changed the situation of the state-owned seed company in the unified market.

As a result, various capitals have entered the seed industry market, private seed companies, Sino-foreign joint ventures, self-run companies of scientific research institutes, agricultural technology extension workers “initiate”, and even some “bag companies”, etc. The number of companies with more than 5 million yuan has reached more than 8,700, creating a "small, scattered, chaotic" situation.

To regulate the market, on December 31, 2010, the Ministry of Agriculture promulgated the “Administrative Measures on Crop Seed Production and Management Licensing” to solicit public opinions. The Opinions raised the registered capital of hybrid rice and corn seed enterprises from 5 million yuan to 30 million yuan, and the registered capital of the seed enterprises with integrated operations was raised from 30 million yuan to 100 million yuan, and the fixed assets ratio is not lower than 50%.

“If the implementation of this method, more than 8,700 seed companies in the country are expected to be eliminated. 90% of seed industry access threshold is about to become history, industry reshuffle is imminent.” Beijing Municipal Seed Management Station Deputy, News The spokesman Zhao Qing thinks.

In addition to the increase in the registered capital threshold, according to Zhao youth, in accordance with national requirements, the seed company will implement the integration of production, research, and sales. It strictly requires that companies must have scientific research institutions and own 3-5 self-owned intellectual property rights. There are varieties.

For the “small, scattered, chaotic” situation of the domestic seed industry, Zhang Mengyu, deputy director of the China Seed Trade Association, said: “The top 50 Chinese companies are the equivalent of a group of sparrows and they feed on their homes. The multinational companies are eagles. The number is small, but they are very large."

"How sparrows and eagles compete and cooperate is to integrate the power of sparrows to unite seed companies. Now we must create a strong Chinese seed industry organization. I think that the future industry organizations are one of the strengths of our integrated sparrows. Important factors." Zhang Mengyu thinks.

In addition to the industry's own factors, Li Shaoming pointed out that "the state should create a good external industrial environment for seed companies and seed markets."

Li Shaoming suggested that “a variety of economic subsidies provided by the state to peasants is best converted to agricultural insurance, so that it can effectively protect the rapid development of domestic seed industry companies. There are as many as 9 kinds of policy insurance and commercial insurance for American farmers. China is now a policy-oriented agricultural insurance, which is currently very small and in the pilot phase, and the insurance coverage is very low."

“Under the condition that commercial insurance and policy insurance coverage are not available, farmers will certainly shift their risks upstream, especially seeds. China Seed Co., Ltd. bears the world’s greatest and most significant social responsibility. Obviously there is a lack of a bigger and stronger industrial environment," said Li Shaoming.

At the same time, Li Shaoming also believes that there is still a major contradiction between the large-scale seed production and the difficulty of land circulation in the development of the seed industry in China. “If one household of 100 households in a village does not agree to engage in seed production, and other people agree that it is meaningless, they can’t do it. This is a major policy problem in advancing the development of modern seed industry in China.”

Li Xiaoxia, general manager of Denghai Seed Industry, appealed that the state should improve the crop breeding, production, and supervision systems, strengthen the crackdown on illegal infringement, and comprehensively upgrade the scientific and technological innovation capability, the enterprise's competitiveness, and the ability to support species and markets for crop seed industry in China. Supervision ability.

Made in China "industry aircraft carrier"

In order to accelerate the development of domestic seed industry, the State Council formally issued the "Opinions on Accelerating the Development of Modern Crop Seed Industry" on April 18.

"This 'opinion' hopes to gradually shift the ability of commercial breeding to enterprises, because most of our research and development capabilities are concentrated in research institutes." Wan Jianmin thinks, but like China Seed Industry Group, Longping Hi-Tech, Denghai It is hard to say whether domestic companies such as seed industry and Dunhuang seed industry have the ability to quickly occupy the commercial breeding market.

Li Shaoming also pointed out that in transgenic breeding, domestic companies do not yet have the ability to clone and build genes; instead, artificially created or cloned genes are introduced into breeding materials, and only 7 to 8 companies in the country now have this capability. .

Wan Jianmin expressed with worries: "If scientific research institutes give up this position and hope that these domestic companies will seize it, and they do not have this ability and can't afford it, it will leave a vacuum for Monsanto and Pioneer. , let Monsanto give up."

Therefore, Wan Jianmin suggested that the state should guide, support and nurture 3 to 5 leading national enterprises with R&D and marketing capabilities as soon as possible to control the domestic seed resources and maintain the state’s dominance and control over the seed industry. . At the same time, it entered the international market and participated in international seed industry competition.

"It is not enough to set up one, there must be two or three, so that we can compete with each other and effectively transfer and integrate the scientific and technological resources of existing scientific research institutes." Wan Jianmin said.

In fact, in the eyes of people in the industry, the most terrible is that "China's seed companies have insufficient investment in R&D and insufficient innovation capacity." At present, less than 1.5% of the total number of domestic seed companies with R&D and innovation capabilities, the vast majority of corporate R&D investment is generally at 1% of their sales, and some companies have less than 1%, which is lower than the internationally recognized “death line”. .

In terms of R&D investment, multinational companies generally account for about 10% of sales revenue, and some are as high as 15% to 20%. For example, Monsanto's sales revenue in 2010 was US$ 10.502 billion, and R&D investment was US$ 1.205 billion. Pioneer’s R&D investment was also US$ 1.651 billion, which was even more than the input of one country.

Wan Jianmin said that in the past, China's investment in agricultural research has been insufficient, accounting for only 0.6% to 0.7% of the GDP of the agricultural industry, and even less than 1% of the international average. “Now the State Council has approved a major project for agricultural genetic modification. In 15 years, the central government has invested 12 billion yuan, which is why everyone has been 'more and more' and how ridiculous it is.”

“Also, our companies are very small, it is impossible to spend more money to engage in R&D, and its investment will be effective 10 or 20 years later. The overall R&D investment is low and the cycle is long, let us go with Monsanto. DuPont pioneers to compete. Do you think we have any possibility?" Wan Jianmin said straightforwardly.

In this regard, Zhang Mingtang also quite agrees. He suggested that “the state should select several promising, young and potential companies to help them quickly establish a high-tech research system, become bigger and stronger, and become a leading company in China, so that they can be as big as Monsanto. The company's competition."

“We should establish a crop breeding system that can adapt to the national conditions and have Chinese characteristics. This time may take 10 to 20 years, but if we take the right path, we can pursue it faster. Only in this way will we have the future. Large living space. If we run behind the United States butt, we will always be behind it." Zhang Ming Tang said.

(The reporter Li Xiaoxiao and intern Li Qian also contributed to this article.)

Does China need genetic modification?

On the one hand, global GM crop cultivation continues to expand. On the one hand, transnational giants have monopolized the international transgenic breeding market. In the face of genetically modified technology, what should China do? resist? open? Or independent research and development?

"China Economic Weekly" reporter Wang Xiaozong I Beijing reported that "The Ministry of Agriculture has never approved the importation of any kind of genetically modified grain seeds into China for commercial planting and there are no genetically modified food crops planted in China." In response to the recent appearance of "China's three major staple foods" The rumors that all crops were genetically modified. The Ministry of Agriculture's Office for the Safety of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms reaffirmed the "attitude" of the Chinese government on February 16.

Only a week later, the International Service Organization for the Application of Agricultural Biotechnology (ISAAA) released on February 22: In 2010, 15.4 million farmers in 29 countries in the world planted 148 million hectares of GM crops, an increase of 10% year-on-year. From 1996 to 2010, the global area of ​​genetically modified crops has increased by 86 times, and the cumulative total has exceeded 1 billion hectares.

China's maverick?

Is GM "safe"?

The world's first genetically modified food that appeared on the market, beginning in the United States in the early 1990s, is a fresh-keeping tomato.

The research results were successfully studied in the UK, but the British did not dare to commercialize it, and Americans became the first to eat crabs.

In fact, food GM technology is accompanied by fierce security debates during its development.

Since 1998, the "Pusta events in the UK", "Deaths of the butterfly", "Canada super weeds", "European genetically modified corn affecting mammals", "China's insect-resistant cotton destroying ecology" have successively occurred. Wait for the event. The "scandals" of these transgenic technologies were eventually negated by governments and authoritative research institutions.

For example, in 1998, British scientist Pusta personally released his experimental results on television (not through academic papers or through an authoritative organization), saying that feeding rats with genetically modified potatoes can damage the immune system. The Royal Society of the United Kingdom, in response to the report of Pusta, specifically organized experts to conduct a careful assessment. The final conclusion is that the experimental results cannot prove that the genetically modified potatoes have such damage to rats.

This is the first incident related to the safety of genetically modified organisms. It triggered a dispute over the safety of genetically modified organisms that has yet to subside and intensify.

The protagonist of the controversy is the supporter of the GM of the United States and the Prudent Day and Europe.

"The United States is the most avant-garde and most open country with regard to genetically modified technology. The commercialization of large-scale global genetically modified products began in the United States." Li Shaoming said, "Actually, this attitude of the United States largely encourages genetic modification. Technological innovation and research and development."

According to reports, 60% to 70% of American foods contain genetically modified ingredients. Including corn, rice, potatoes and other American staple foods, all transgenic varieties are approved for cultivation and consumption by the U.S. government.

The latest report released by the National Academy of Sciences in April 2010, “The Impact of Genetically Modified Crops on U.S. Agriculture Sustainability,” analyzes the environmental, economic, and social benefits of U.S. development of genetically modified crops over the past 14 years from the perspective of farmers, and concludes that: Overall, compared with traditional agriculture, GM technology has created huge environmental benefits and economic benefits for American farmers.

The EU and Japan’s cautious attitude towards genetically modified foods is more due to the actual situation of their agricultural product importing countries and regards safety issues as a technical trade measure. As a matter of fact, safety assessments and studies on genetically modified organisms by relevant competent agencies and third-party research institutions of the European Union and Japan have not found any safety issues directly related to industrialized genetically modified foods.

Most domestic experts believe that the focus of debate on genetically modified seeds is mainly focused on two aspects: First, whether genetically modified food crops can be safely consumed; Second, genetically modified technology patents are mainly controlled by transnational seed giants, who may rely on genetically modified technology to monopolize National seed market.

Former US Secretary of State Kissinger, the US oligopoly for genetic modification, once said: “Anyone who controls oil controls all countries; whoever controls grain has control of humanity; who controls money, it controls the global economy.”

“Oil, food, and the U.S. dollar are the three major strategies that the U.S. govern the world. In fact, the U.S. international strategic layout is basically focused on these three major strategies. Therefore, vigorously developing the genetically-modified technologies related to grain and seed industries is itself Part of the national strategy of the United States, said Li Shaoming, general manager of Beijing Golden Agro-China Seed Industry Co., Ltd. and professor at China Agricultural University.

Li Shaoming said: “In the global GM breeding market, a US company Monsanto has an 85% share. The United States is currently the world leader in GM technology, which is bigger than conventional breeding and is a global monopoly.”

According to a survey conducted by Greenpeace, the vast majority of the world's relevant technologies for the research and development of genetically modified crops have been controlled by a few companies such as Monsanto, and these giants of the world have passed the patented technology and international conventions and have captured some countries’ food control rights. .

At present, more than 99% of soybeans grown in Argentina are already Monsanto's GM soybeans. Argentine farmers not only have to pay extra for these genetically modified soybeans, but they have also fallen into a legal battle. Monsanto has actually monopolized Argentina’s soybean market and sales of soybean seeds, which have resulted in huge profits.

“Now many European countries still have high thresholds for biotechnology and do not allow commercialization. As a result, most European bio-breeding companies move their headquarters to the United States, which in turn further strengthens the US’s advantages in biotechnology.” Li Shaoming does not Express without worry.

Li Shaoming frankly stated: "This may be an alternative for many countries in terms of policy and legislation: if commercialization is allowed, the market may soon be occupied by multinational corporations headed by the United States; if commercialization is not allowed, the gap will become more and more. Big."

Demonizing GM foods "has business promoters"

Since the introduction of transgenic technology has the danger of “introducing” transnational giants, can China independently develop genetically modified technologies?

“Transgenics is a very precise transfer of our known, useful, superior, and safe genes, and its safety is fully guaranteed, because genetically modified foods have many technical requirements, such as the need for a plant. To do genetic transformation, first of all, it will not have any 'bad records'," explained Luo Yunbo, dean of the College of Food Science and Technology at the China Agricultural University and a well-known genetic research expert in China.

Luo Yunbo further explained that “biology is composed of genes. Cross breeding is a group of genes that are undergoing transfer. They are randomly selected, and some are even randomly combined to get a good one. If you use genetic standards, To evaluate it, there must be such a problem. Actually, in the natural world, gene drift and exchange are ubiquitous. For example, the pollen wind of crops runs around and it is also a kind of gene drift.”

“Some people say that 'in the future we want to protect food safety, we can't have genetic modification in our food' and it's foolish. In fact, there are business drivers behind the demonization of genetically modified foods and their breeding. There are ulterior political goals and business. Objectives.” Luo Yunbo emphasized.

In fact, genetically modified foods have begun to enter our daily lives. For example, soybean salad oil sold on the market in China is almost all produced using genetically modified herbicide-tolerant soybeans.

"Our country must vigorously develop genetically modified seeds and vigorously develop the bio-industry with independent intellectual property rights. Otherwise, once the market is liberalized, our seed industry may be completely wiped out and suffer destruction," said Luo Yunbo.

Luo Yunbo said with "dissatisfaction" that "For example, soybeans are our origin, and one of our major strategic mistakes was that we did not conduct research on soybean transgenic seeds. Nowadays, a large number of foreign genetically modified soybeans are sold in China, and Chinese soybeans. Already facing the catastrophe."

"If you do not engage in genetic modification, you will fall behind."

In fact, at present, most countries are increasingly active in the research and industrialization of genetically modified organisms, and they regard the development of biotechnology as a strategic choice to support development and lead the future. In 2006, China listed the major specialties of new varieties of genetically modified organisms in the Outline of the National Medium and Long-Term Scientific and Technological Development Plan (2006-2020).

In July 2008, after deliberation by the State Council executive meeting, China launched a major project for the cultivation of new varieties of genetically modified organisms. In June 2009, the State Council promulgated the "Policy for Accelerating the Development of the Biological Industry." It explicitly proposed that "accelerating the cultivation of the bio-industry should become a pillar industry in the high-tech field and a strategic emerging industry in the country."

In 2010, the Central No. 1 Document proposed: "Continue to implement major science and technology projects for breeding new varieties of genetically modified organisms. We must pay close attention to the development of functional genes and new biological varieties that have important application value and independent intellectual property rights. We must promote new genetically modified organisms on the basis of scientific assessment and legal management. Variety industrialization."

“From a technical point of view, both genetically modified and conventional breeding are technical methods for variety improvement. It is a relatively accurate and oriented modern molecular breeding technology. There is no safety problem in itself. From the perspective of product application, the world has not yet The problem of safety has been discovered; from the perspective of the development of breeding technology, it has gradually shifted from the direction of experience breeding to the direction of precise breeding.” said Professor Wan Jianmin, director of the Crop Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Under the current international technological pattern, “we will not engage in genetic breeding, and we will certainly lag behind and be beaten.” Wan Jianmin said, “The only way we can do now is to study transgene breeding ourselves and make it our patent. product."

What is genetically modified transgene, refers to the use of scientific means to extract the desired gene from an organism, transfer it to another organism, and recombine with another organism's genes to generate specific genetic traits with mutations substance. The use of transgenic technology can change animal and plant traits and breed new varieties. It is also possible to use other organisms to produce desired biological products, and its safety has not been determined in the international context. It is still controversial.