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在线翻译:
szdaily -> China
Farmers grow GM soybeans despite ban
     2015-September-8  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

    FARMERS in Heilongjiang Province have been found illegally growing genetically modified (GM) soybeans, media reports revealed Saturday.

    While the northeastern province is a key soybean-producing area, the use of GM crops is strictly regulated in China, with no GM foodstuffs having yet been approved for domestic production.

    Despite the ban, an official from the Heilongjiang provincial agricultural department said that around 10 percent of the region’s soybean farmers are growing GM crops.

    The local authorities said they are investigating the case, and if any farmers are found to be guilty of growing illegal crops they could face a fine of up to 200,000 yuan (US$31,480).

    Middlemen who buy soybeans from farmers and sell them on to companies which process them into cooking oil, tofu and soy milk have discovered farmers in the region selling GM crops.

    “We previously saw some GM soybeans mixed with other beans [when they would buy beans from groups of farmers]. But when we saw the warehouses [of individual farmers], they were totally filled with GM soybeans,” a soybean dealer told the China Business Journal.

    The dealer said farmers know that they are planting GM crops, and that they do it to pursue greater yields and higher profits. But he said many farmers didn’t realize that this is illegal.

    A local farmer surnamed Wen, who has grown soybeans for a long time, said that farmers are eagerly awaiting permission to grow GM soybeans.

    Despite being illegal to both grow and sell, farmers can purchase GM soybean seeds at agricultural exhibitions and online. Some farmers said that they have bought illegal GM seeds on Internet stores such as Taobao.com.

    The world’s biggest multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation, Monsanto, said previously they do not sell GM soybean seeds to Chinese farmers.

    According to an informed source who requested anonymity, most soybean dealers do not test whether the soybeans they buy are GM or not.

    (Global Times)

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