Genetically Modified products have seen their far share of controversy over the years, and in China that is no different.  While I would believe that the consumers here are more willing to accept the products than an EU resident, the government has shows a significant amount of concern in commercializing these products for use in China.

Of course, they are happy to grow for export.

Genetically Modified Rice, Yields, and Pesticides: Assessing Farm-Level Productivity Effects in China, coauthored by members of CASS, Stanford, and Rutgers, looks at GM Rice in China to see what the real gains would be to the average farmer:

This article presents the first evidence from the fields of farmers in the economic literature on whether GM rice can really start to deliver on its promise or whether this is another set of unfounded promises from the supporters of biotechnology.

The paper comes at an interesting time as (1) China just experienced a time of food inflation (2) the government is looking for ways to improve the income levels of farmers and (3) the world’s population is clearly on the path to outstripping resources important to crops – water and arable land being the two most important

For me, I am still unconvinced.  Through my research and discussions, I have found that there are still huge gains in yields to be found in much less controversial areas.  Farmers in China are notoriously undereducated, are over fertilizing 4x above average, water irrigation techniques – quality of water – are poor, and without the ability to legally develop large coops, significant investments in equipment and higher quality (non-GM inputs) have yet to be made.

.. and in my opinion, we should address those issues prior to considering the market for genetically modified anything.

All ar