譚志娟 設立非轉基因大豆保護區 Soybean province wants protection from GM crops

National legislators from Heilongjiang province, which is China's principal producer of non-genetically-modified soybeans, are calling for a law to set up a special zone where the planting and processing of GM plants is prohibited.

黑龍江省是我國主要的非轉基因大豆生產基地。今年兩會期間，該省人大代表提出議案，建議立法設立特別保護區，嚴禁種植與加工轉基因作物。

Deputies to the country's top legislature hope such a law would preserve ecological diversity, benefit farmers who plant non-GM soybeans and avoid "possible contamination" of the soybean crop by GM plants.

人大代表希望通過這項法案，保護生態多樣性，惠及種植非轉基因大豆的農民，並避免轉基因作物“污染”其他大豆植株。

The size of the proposed special zone would restore the province's soybean growing acreage to its 2010 level of 4.3 million hectares, said national lawmaker Tan Zhijuan.

人大代表譚志娟建議，在黑龍江省設立佔地430萬公頃的大豆保護區。屆時，非轉基因大豆種植面積將恢復到2010年的水平。

Tan said universities in Heilongjiang and beyond should have first call on the non-GM soybean products coming out of the special zone.

她還表示，保護區內產出的非轉基因大豆應優先供應給黑龍江及其他各省大學的食堂。

"Heilongjiang, China's largest producer of non-GM soybeans, has seen its planting acreage downsized to a tipping point of 1.4 million hectares," said Tan, who is a veteran agricultural specialist.

作爲資深的農業專家，譚志娟指出：“黑龍江是我國最大的非轉基因大豆種植省。然而近幾年，我省的非轉基因大豆種植面積已縮減至140萬公頃。”

"This represents a drop of a staggering 66 percent in five years following the influx of much cheaper GM imports."

“也就是說，近五年來，隨着廉價的轉基因大豆進口，非轉基因大豆的種植規模已驟降66%。”

Nationwide, China imported 81.7 million tons of soybeans－mostly GM ones－last year, which meant more than 80 percent of its soybean consumption was met by imports, said Tan.

譚志娟表示，僅去年一年，我國進口的大豆量就達8170萬噸，其中，多數爲轉基因品種。換句話說，我國的大豆消費，八成多需依靠進口。

"China has the world's most diversified wild soybean resources," Tan said.

譚志娟說：“我國的野生大豆資源是全世界最多樣化的。”

As a responsible country, China must protect living genetic material including seeds and tissue used for plant breeding, preservation and research, Tan said.

她進一步補充道，中國是負責任的大國，有義務保護本國的作物種子與植被組織，以用於作物的種植、保存與研究。

Although the planting of GM soybeans has not been detected so far in Heilongjiang province, there are risks that GM seeds might find their way to the fields, for example, through leakage from road transportation, Tan warned.

雖然黑龍江省尚無種植轉基因大豆，但譚志娟警告道，轉基因種子仍有可能在陸路運輸中漏出或因其他原因落入土壤。

She said the key to establishing the non-GM soybean protection zone would be to build up an industrial chain that streamlines the planting, processing and sales of non-GM soybeans.

她指出，欲建立非轉基因大豆保護區，關鍵在於打造一條集種植、加工、銷售爲一體的非轉基因大豆生產線。

This non-GM industrial chain will differentiate itself from that for GM products and improve the competitive edge of the domestic soybean industry to target its niche market, Tan said.

譚志娟說，這條生產線將有別於轉基因大豆生產線，在搶佔國內小衆市場商機中更具競爭力。