The Herald | October 27, 1999 | By CRAIG SKEHAN, Herald Correspondent in Bangkok
Thai authorities are struggling to protect billions of dollars worth of exports as countries with restrictions or bans on genetically modified crops start to reject Thai food products.
The trade impact is such that the Thai Government is considering a proposal to set up a special agricultural zone to produce, for export and local consumption, crops which have not been genetically modified. In one case, Thai exporters have been forced to start using sunflower oil instead of soybean oil in cans of tuna because the European Union banned Thai tuna canned in oil made from imported genetically modified soybeans. The stakes are high. Canned tuna exports alone earn Thailand $1.2 billion annually.
Lucrative exports of farm prawns to certain markets could also be jeopardised if it were established that genetically modified feedstocks were being used. The recent rejection by Germany of flour sourced from a Thai agricultural project has added to political sensitivity.The Herald:
