Vietnamese Agri Experts: Give Biotech Crops a Go ASAP

After two years of planting biotech maize varieties (MON89034, NK603, BT11, and GA21) in different ecological zones in Vietnam, the Agricultural Institute of Genetics reported that no harm has been caused by the biotech maize to the environment, and there were more advantages found compared with the non-biotech crops. Thus, Vietnamese scientists are encouraging the wide-scale planting of biotech crops so the country would reap the benefits of the technology as soon as possible.

Dr. Le Huy Ham, head of the Institute, said that Vietnam should not delay the commercialization of biotech crops. The regulations on risk management and biosafety have been in place since 1980s and biotech crops have been planted in large scale since 1996 and this is enough time to prove that biotech crops are safe to humans and the biodiversity.

Professor Vo Tong Xuan, another agricultural expert, also expressed his support for biotech crops. He said that biotech crops have been grown in many countries for many years, including big time economies such as the U.S., China and India, as well as developing countries like the Philippines and Myanmar.

The original article is available at  http://english.vietnamnet.vn/en/science-technology/25376/vietnam-goes-ahead-with-gmo-development-plan.html.