According to an article published by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), the Agricultural Institute of Genetics in Vietnam has concluded that biotech maize is safe for the environment, adding the biotech variety has been found to have some advantages that its conventional counterpart lacks.

Dr. Le Huy Ham, Head of the Agricultural Institute of Genetics, voiced his support for commercializing the biotech maize. “I don’t think we need to wait some more time. GMP [genetically modified plants] should be applied in Vietnam, as soon as possible,” he stated, adding that “the cultivation in the last 16 years shows that GMPs are safe to humans and biodiversity.”

Agriculture expert Professor Vo-Tong Xuan also encouraged adoption of the technology, noting that 30 countries worldwide have already successfully cultivated and benefitted from the use of biotech crops. Read more.

According to a Chinese study recently published in Nature, biotech cotton designed to resist crop-damaging insects has demonstrated some unexpected environmental benefits. Because farmers who plant the biotech cotton are able to use fewer chemicals to control pests, beneficial insects that feed on crop-damaging aphids are more likely to thrive and contribute further to protecting the cotton plants. The study, based on 20 years of data from northern China, was led by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing. Read more.