Vietnam to grow genetically modified plants
By Hong Van - The Saigon Times Daily
HCMC – The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has instructed relevant departments to test genetically modified organism (GMO) products for this year’s winter-spring harvest.
The ministry has yet to disclose which organizations will carry out the program and which plants they will test.
However, Nguyen Quoc Binh, deputy director of the HCMC Biotechnology Center, said at the GMO international conference in late 2008 that the ministry would focus on corn, soybean, cassava and animal feed products.
The Government has allowed the production of genetically modified organisms for commercial purposes since 2005.
However, a lack of guidance has handicapped the policy. Vietnamese laboratories have grown genetically modified corn and cotton since 2006.
Biotechnology crops are expected to account for 50% of the country’s total agricultural output between 2011 and 2015. Genetically modified crops are expected to comprise 30-50% of this figure.