October 6, 2009
The facts of genetically-modified crop (2)
Reasons why they produce genetically modified foods
There are advantages for farmers who produce genetically modified foods. Two of the benefits are production cost decreases and increases in profit. There is one kind of genetically modified soybean, which has anti-herbicide characteristics that has been supplied by a US company. This company originally produced chemical herbicides, which kills any kind of plant from its roots. At first farmers killed all of the weeds on the farmland with their chemical herbicide and then cast anti-herbicide soybean seeds. Now, farmers can only buy these soybean seeds from this U.S. Company, because it has the patent on anti-herbicide soybeans.
According to statistics in 2007, 90% of soybeans produced in the US are estimated to be genetically modified. The self-sufficient rate of soybeans in Japan is about 5% and 75% of soybeans are imported from the US. That means about 60% of soybeans consumed in Japan are genetically modified and this has been increasing through the years.
Even though there is such a small market share of genetically modified beans, there does exist another kind of soybean that is combined with genes of an eradicate toxin called Bacillus thuringiensis (herbicide). These two products basically dominate the genetically modified soybean market.
There are also new types of genetically modified foods that have had added positive elements to the original food product. For medical use, rice has been combined with allergic substances of cedar in order to relieve the symptom of cedar pollen allergies.
There are advantages for farmers who produce genetically modified foods. Two of the benefits are production cost decreases and increases in profit. There is one kind of genetically modified soybean, which has anti-herbicide characteristics that has been supplied by a US company. This company originally produced chemical herbicides, which kills any kind of plant from its roots. At first farmers killed all of the weeds on the farmland with their chemical herbicide and then cast anti-herbicide soybean seeds. Now, farmers can only buy these soybean seeds from this U.S. Company, because it has the patent on anti-herbicide soybeans.
According to statistics in 2007, 90% of soybeans produced in the US are estimated to be genetically modified. The self-sufficient rate of soybeans in Japan is about 5% and 75% of soybeans are imported from the US. That means about 60% of soybeans consumed in Japan are genetically modified and this has been increasing through the years.
Even though there is such a small market share of genetically modified beans, there does exist another kind of soybean that is combined with genes of an eradicate toxin called Bacillus thuringiensis (herbicide). These two products basically dominate the genetically modified soybean market.
There are also new types of genetically modified foods that have had added positive elements to the original food product. For medical use, rice has been combined with allergic substances of cedar in order to relieve the symptom of cedar pollen allergies.
