Asian nations may have to be cautious on GMO rice
By Sambit Mohanty, Reuters Thursday, October 28, 2004

SINGAPORE­Genetically modified rice may help Asia take a step closer toward food self sufficiency but governments should move cautiously before giving the green light to commercial planting, a United Nations farm official said.
With China, India and the Philippines holding field trials after investing a lot of resources in bio-engineered rice, the debate has intensified on whether Asia is prepared to introduce genetically modified rice.
He Changchui, assistant director general for Asia-Pacific of the Food and Agriculture Organization, said governments would have undertake extensive risk assessment on food safety and study consumer sentiment before giving approval.
“We would strongly recommend that countries intending to commercialize GMO rice should go through a very strict, science-based analysis,” he told Reuters in an interview. “They should be cautious. But staying away completely from it may not be a very good approach,” he added.
Chinese agricultural scientists have said that China, the world’s top producer and consumer of rice, could release GMO rice as early as next year, with pressure mounting on Beijing to boost domestic grain production and farmer income.
But officials at the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute say the first commercial GMO rice crop could be at least three years away. Asked if genetically modified rice would face opposition in Asia, he said: “Like many other GMO crops, there could be some opposition and that could have an impact on the timing on introduction of the grain for commercial use.”
Grain analysts feel that Asia might have a tough job at hand since consumers in this region are more sensitive to the issue of genetically modified grain than some western counterparts.
In June, opposition to bio-engineered food grain forced Monsanto Co. to halt controversial plans to introduce the world’s first GMO wheat in Canada and the United States.
Supporters of GMO crops say they help boost productivity and lower production costs in addition to boosting nutritional content. But opponents have mounted protests worldwide as they argue such crops pose health hazards.
Key constraints
He said Asia, a net grains importer and a region which is home to more than half the world’s population, would also have to look at ways of boosting productivity through scientific research to produce high-yielding varieties, not necessarily just by growing genetically modified crops. “When the population is rising, productivity increases have to come through news technologies rather than agriculture land expansion,” he added. “Biotech certainly provides opportunities.”
According to the International Rice Research Institute, rice yields would have to increase by at least 1 percent annually over the next 30 years to keep up with an expanding population. The institute projects the number of people eating rice will almost double to 4.6 billion by 2025.
He said slowing investment in agriculture infrastructure was also standing in the way of boosting productivity in Asia. “There is a clear trend that number of governments in this region have reduced investments in agriculture over the past years.”
And in addition to that, Asia has to manage its water resources better to avoid serious problems in the future, he said, adding that agriculture accounts for about 70 percent of fresh water withdrawals.
“Countries like Pakistan and China have to manage their water resources better. Otherwise, water scarcity could become a long-term problem for food security issues.”