Controversial GM rice gets green lights in China

China has given the green lights to the controversial genetically modified rice after they are put through a process of production trails and made suitable for wider commercial use. Beijing's argument is that GM rice is necessary to feed its growing population in the face of shrinking farmland. Huang Dafang, a member of the Biosafety Committee at the Ministry of Agriculture in Beijing has said that genetically modified organism technology is essential to ensure grain security. The ministry of agriculture has also begun issuing bio-safety certificates to strains of pest-resistant GM rice and corn. But it may take up to five years for the process of these rice strains to be registered and put through production trials before commercial output can begin, the official media quoted Huang as saying.