The domestic sown area can not meet the needs of Chinese people for edible oil.

China has imported a large number of genetically modified soybeans in recent years, is there any guarantee of safety? Kou Jianping, director of the Safety Management and intellectual property Department of genetically modified organisms of the Department of Science, Technology and Education of the Ministry of Agriculture, pointed out at the "National Media reporter GM reporting Workshop" today that domestic soybeans are facing difficulties.

China mainly imports soybeans from the United States, Brazil and Argentina. In these countries, genetically modified soybeans account for 93%, 92% and 100% of the total planting area of all soybean varieties, respectively. At the same time, China's domestic soybeans are "facing difficulties," Kou Jianping said.

The average yield of soybean in China is 120 kg per mu, which is lower than that of corn. The key is that the domestic sown area can not meet the demand. In recent years, more than 50 million tons of soybeans have been imported every year. According to the existing varieties and technical level, these soybeans need more than 400 million mu of arable land, which is close to the current sown area of corn or rice.

That is to say, when we produce these 50 million tons of soybeans, we have to sacrifice the same area of high-yielding crops, and there will be big problems in food security.

Kou Jianping also pointed out that Chinese people's eating habits lead to high consumption of edible oil. He cited that the standard recommended by the World Health Organization is 25 grams per person per day, while experts estimate that this figure is more than 50 grams in China.

He concluded, "without major technological breakthroughs, it is very difficult for domestic soybeans to get out of the predicament."

In addition, Kou Jianping said that the import of genetically modified organisms will go through a series of safety assessments in China, and "it is safe to obtain safety certificates to import organisms and their products used as raw materials for processing."