Vietnam Law May Allow GM Trials

Matt Hopkins Posted by Matt Hopkins|22 July 2008

Vietnam’s newly drafted Biodiversity Law is expected to be ratified by the National Assembly in October 2008, reports United States Department of Agriculture – Foreign Ag Services (USDA-FAS). The law’s Chapter 6, addressing the management of Genetically Modified (GM) Organisms and implementing regulations to allow field trials of biotech crops, still has not been approved, but the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development remains hopeful that it will be signed before the end 2008 so that field trials may begin this year.

With concerns about the lack of skilled biotech personnel, Vietnam plans to send more students overseas for advanced degrees in biotech related fields. USDA-FAS also reports that Vietnam will likely not achieve its target of releasing GM crops for commercial production by 2010.