Biotech Updates

Biotechnology in United Arab Emirates, a GAIN Report

July 23, 2010

The US Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agriculture Service has published a GAIN Report on Biotechnology in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The report discusses the state of biotechnology adoption, research, and regulation in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the UAE – the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC-5). The report says that none of the five countries have genetically modified crops under commercial production, there is limited research on drought and salinity tolerance in few countries, and the Gulf Standards Organization (GSO) the standards committee of the GCC has formed a subcommittee to draft a set of standards related to the testing and regulation of foods containing GM ingredients.

The report  can be downloaded at http://gain.fas.usda.gov/Recent%20GAIN%20Publications/Biotechnology%20-%20GE%20Plants%20and%20Animals_Dubai_United%20Arab%20Emirates_6-16-2010.pdf