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Biotech / Medical : Monsanto Co. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dan Spillane who wrote (1800)	3/24/1999 12:11:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Respond to of 2539

03/24 03:10 INTERVIEW-Thais to step up crop biotechnology use By Anchalee Koetsawang BANGKOK, March 24 (Reuters) - Thailand said on Wednesday it will increasingly turn to biotechnology, such as genetic engineering, to improve the quality and quantity of its farm crops. Yongyuth Yuthvong, head of protein engineering programme at National Science and Technology Development Agency, said he expected transgenic plants to be widely used in Thailand, one of the world's top commodities producers and exporters, in the next five to 10 years. "We are monitoring this technology closely and will use it to our benefit. If we don't, it would be difficult for a major agriculture commodities producer like us to catch up with others," he told Reuters in an interview. "The technology will allow Thailand to get better quality crops that would otherwise take much longer time to develop by natural means." Biotechnology enables genes to be manipulated. For example, external genes can be introduced into crops to make them more resistant to disease or pests. Yongyuth said the agency was developing some fungus-resistant fruits and long shelf-life chillies, used widely in Thai cooking. Other transgenic crops, such cotton, corn or soybeans would be bought from foreign companies and tested for safety before being released into the fields, he said. Monsanto Co <MTC.N> of United States, for example, expects to release Bollgard cotton commercially in Thailand by 2000. The cotton contains bacillus thuringenesis bacteria which kills the bollworm pest. Thailand spends about 20 billion baht importing cotton annually, mostly from Australia and the United States. It produces only five percent of its demand because an increasing number of cotton farmers, unable to bear cost of pesticides and health hazards that they cause, have switched to other crops. The agriculture ministry is developing drought-resistant rice. Thailand is the world's top rice exporter. Although the Thai government welcomed genetic engineering technology, it was also aware of public concerns surrounding the use of such technology and would be careful, Yongyuth said. "Like every new technology, there are some uncertainties or risks. But evidence to date indicates that they are relatively small and manageable compared with the benefit," he said. "As much as we welcome the technology, we have strict guidelines and processes to ensure safety before using it." "I think Thailand should be willing to reveal to consumers if its products are genetically engineered."