Romania’s National Federation of Farm Producers has urged the European Union to introduce genetically modified (GMO) crops in the wake of high soybean demand worldwide.
Federation Chairman Viorel Matei said Wednesday the EU should come out of its conservative attitude that is hindering the economic prosperity of the continent in the absence of new technologies.
Matei said that the EU is uninterested because most of the countries do not have the required micro-climatic and soil conditions to grow Genetically Modified Organisms.
Matei noted that the Romanian employers' organization would receive benefits from lobbying from the American Soy Producers' Board, which has agreed to talks with the EU about the advantages of using bio-technologies.
Upon entering the 27-nation bloc, Romania banned GMO soya despite planting around 140,000 hectares of GM soybeans just a year before.
Romanian Agriculture Minister Valeriu Tabara, who publicly supports bio-technologies, said that Bucharest loses $131,000,000 annually because it does not cultivate genetically modified soy and imports it from Brazil for its animal farms.
"Romania's policy does not run counter to the European community laws. We are the only country in Europe that has very good conditions for this crop," the official stressed.
Recently a WikiLeaks’ release of U.S. diplomatic cables claimed that the U.S. under President George W. Bush had planned retaliation against Europe, which refuses to use genetically modified seeds.
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