September 30, 2008

Vietnam will trial genetically modified (GM) corn for animal feed early next year before moving on to farm the GM crop, an expert said on Monday (September 29, 2008).

Local farmers would only be allowed to grow GM corn if it was found to be biologically and environmentally safe after two years of experiment, according to Dr. Nguyen Quoc Binh, executive vice director of the Biotechnology Centre of Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam cannot plant GM corn now, as the government has not issued any biological safety regulations, Binh said.

Vietnam would most likely import GM corn from the Philippines, as the two countries share a similar climate, before developing its own breeds, Binh said.

Planting GM corn would allow Vietnamese farmers to earn US$100 per hectare more than non-GM corn, Binh said, adding that Vietnam harvests nearly four tonnes of non-GM corn per hectare while US farmers harvest 9-11 tonnes per hectare of GM corn.

Vietnam imports about US$500 million worth of corn each year, and is expected to require about 5.5 million tonnes this year. Corn demand is also projected to increase to 8 million tonnes by 2010.

Vietnam is expected to grow about 4 million tonnes of corn this year.