Tehran, Iran, Sept. 6
By Mehdi Sepahvand – Trend:
Iran imports worth $5.5 billion of transgenic products every year, according to Azad Omrani, a member of the National Association on Agricultural Products.
Expressing concern over the high import rate, he warned that the products should be tested for health before they can be distributed, IRIB news agency reported Sept. 6.
Testing transgenic products takes some 13 years and costs $130 million, according to Omrani.
“In the past years, the products found their way to people’s diet, but measures should be taken so that the profit of an interested group does not overweigh the public health,” he said.
Maze, rapeseed, soy and cotton constitute the major part of the world’s transgenic products.
The US, Brazil, Canada and Argentina produce over 90 percent of the products worldwide.
Transgenic products are banned in 38 countries and many other countries require that the products be tagged as they are distributed.
In 2015, the area of land under transgenic cultivation dropped by 1.8 million hectare worldwide.
Omrani said the transgenic cultivation area is expected to further drop in the current year, adding the fact has made the producers seek markets in less developed countries to make up for the dwindling demand.