|
April 27, 2007
Source:
CropBiotech Update
Any delay in implementing the
regulation for risk assessment and field trials for genetically
modified (GM) crops in Vietnam will affect the country’s
opportunity to benefit from the gains that can be derived from
biotechnology. This was stressed by Dr. Le Huy Ham, director of
the Agricultural Genetics Institute in Vietnam, during the
workshop “Implementing biosafety regulations to release and
commercialize GM crops in Vietnam”, held this week in Hanoi,
Vietnam.
Le Huy Ham warned that GM crops, such as corn, soybean and
cotton, are already introduced illegally into Vietnam, which may
damage biodiversity and may result in production problems for
farmers since technical supervision is absent. The adoption of
biosafety legislation is therefore an urgent concern. Vietnam
intends to conduct field trials of selected GM crops between
2006 and 2010, and expects to commercialize and grow GM crops on
over 30% of the land under cultivation in the near future.
Over 50 participants from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development, Ministry of Environment, and Ministry of Health, as
well as academics and scientists, attended the workshop. The
event aimed to provide a detailed understanding of issues in
regulation, food safety, biosafety, IP, and public awareness.
The workshop was sponsored by Vietnam's
Ministry of Agriculture Rural
Development and by the
International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech
Applications (ISAAA).
For more information contact Dr. Randy Hautea at
r.hautea@isaaa.org.
|
|
