Monsanto failed halfway in developing herbicide tolerant rice in Japan

Monsanto failed halfway in developing herbicide tolerant rice in Japan
December 5, 2002

GMO Information Service Japan


Today, December 5, 2002, the chief of The Department of Agriculture and 　Forestry of Aichi Prefecture, Japan answered Ms. Tomomi Nakamura, an 　assembly member that they will stop the research cooperation with Monsanto they have continued since 1996 to develop Roundup herbicide tolerant rice 　strain in Japan. He also said they decided not to commercialize the
herbicide tolerant rice strain considering many Japanese consumers are opposing it.

The Japanese people won the victory after ten-month movement against the 　research. The movement led by NO GMO campaign, an organization opposing 　genetically modified crops in Japan, consisted 148 organizations and groups 　of consumers and organic farmers. They had two big meeting against GM rice in Nagoya, the capital of the Aichi prefecture in July 7 and November 17, 　and handed the petition with signature of more than 580 thousand people 　against the development and commercialization of the GM rice to the Governor of Aichi Prefecture. The prefectural assembly today was noticed how the local government officials answer the question by Ms. Tomomi Nakamura who joined the movement and asked to stop the GM rice development in Aichi Prefecture.

The Monsanto has cooperated with the Agricultural Research Center of Aichi Prefecture these six years giving it money and their patent technology to develop rice strains tolerant to the Roundup herbicide in Japan. The Roundup tolerant gene was injected into a rice strain that was developed by the research center using ordinary breeding technique, and was a recommended strain of the prefecture for farmers by its good taste. The Monsanto would get great profit if succeeded the development in Japan.
However Japanese consumers opposed the development because rice is their main food in dairy life, and made petition with collecting signature against the research.

The Roundup tolerant soybeans shared almost 75% in USA this year. The next target of Monsanto are GM rice and wheat, because both crop are produced six hundred millions a year in the world and are main food of Asian and European people. Then development of genetically modified rice and wheat may the final target of the first generation GM crops that would promise
great profit to the company. The stop of the development of GM rice in Japan may be a great set back for Monsanto. The decision by Aichi Prefecture may influence and act as a brake to other GM crop research by institutes and companies in Japan. This may also be good news for people against GM rice and wheat in Asia and Europe.

December 5, 2002
News from Japan
By Masaharu Kawata
GMO Information Service Japan
http://www2.odn.ne.jp/~cdu37690/

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