March 11, 2011

Vietnam to cultivate biotech corn

Vietnam will begin to cultivate genetically modified corn which will be the pioneer biotech product grown in the country if experimental growth yields positive results in 2011, said Trinh Va n Hung, Director of the Science and Technology Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

"Genetically modified or biotech corn has been successfully grown on a small scale in Van Giang District, Hai Hung Province and Long Thanh District, Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province in 2010," Hung said at a conference on global views of genetically modified crops yesterday (Mar 9) in Hanoi.

Corn was one of the three plants, along with cotton and soy plants, that the MARD stated could be grown in Vietnam.

The growth of genetically modified corn is aligned with the Government's Decision 11, which is regarding investments in advanced biological technologies in the agricultural sector.

Hung said that the agriculture ministry would soon sketch instructions regarding the use of genetically modified products in Vietnam.

According to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), about one billion hectares in 29 countries globally in 2010 cultivated genetically modified crops.

A new high of 15.4 million farmers grew biotech crops. More than 90% of them were poor farmers in developing countries.