Thailand urged to ease up on GMOs

Thailand urged to ease up on GMOs

BANGKOK (AP): A U.S. delegation has urged Thailand to ease restrictions on genetically altered products, but the Southeast Asian nation shows no sign of backing down.

Petipong Pungboon na Ayutthaya, permanent secretary of agriculture, said Thailand planned to start labeling GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, in the near future, the Bangkok Post reported on Wednesday.

He said the government would continue to ban genetically changed seeds until they were proven safe, the paper said.

Thailand, the world's number one rice exporter, faces a dilemma over its policy, due to a dispute over GMOs between the United States and European Union, the world's agricultural and consumer superpowers.