Some leading Vietnamese scientists support genetic engineering, saying it is necessary for their country's socioeconomic progress, local newspaper Vietnam News reported Thursday.

Comparing application of genetic engineering to traveling by plane, Le Tran Binh, director of Vietnam's Biotechnology Institute, said though people knew that accidents might occur, they had little choice if they did not want to be left behind.

Another leading scientist, Professor Vu Tuyen Hoang, said he supported the application in production of cotton and forest products. He called for careful consideration before applying genetic engineering on food crops like rice, maize, coffee and soybean.

Though hybridization and genetic engineering can both help increase crop productivity, the former is safer, Hoang said, noting that Vietnam's hybrid rice and maize have the highest productivity in Asia.

Genetically modified crops usually produce certain toxins to protect themselves from harmful pests, though the effects of such toxins on humans remain uncertain, he said.

Vietnam issued a decree on biotechnology in 1994, and an instruction on conducting biotechnology research and application, including genetic engineering in 1995.

Many countries in the world have accepted the application of genetic engineering, including China, India and the United States, said the newspaper.

By 2020, nearly 100 percent of maize, barley, cotton and soybean areas in the world are forecast to use genetic engineering for production, the newspaper said.

Source: Xinhua