FOCUS ON ASIA
http://www.gmwatch.org/asia.asp

"The contamination is a time bomb that could destroy the agricultural industry" (item 2)

"Processed papaya shipments from at least ten fruit exporters have been delayed or rejected by importers in European countries fearing contamination from genetically modified organisms, a leading agribusiness operator said yesterday." (item 1)

1.Papaya exports rejected after GM rumours
2.War of words over GM contamination
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1.Processed papaya exports rejected after GM rumours
KULTIDA SAMABUDDHI
Bangkok Post, 4 Sep 2004
http://www.biothai.org/cgi-bin/content/news/show.pl?0305

Processed papaya shipments from at least ten fruit exporters have been delayed or rejected by importers in European countries fearing contamination from genetically modified organisms, a leading agribusiness operator said yesterday.

The bans and delays of canned papaya orders from European importers have resulted in about one billion baht loss for the industry so far, said an executive of Sun Sweet Co, a leading fruit and vegetable exporter based in Chiang Mai.

The situation will worsen if the government and the Department of Agriculture (DoA) refuse to look into the alleged leakage and GM papaya contamination from the government's Khon Kaen research station, said the executive, who asked not to be named.

The company did not export canned papaya, but had been informed by several papaya exporters about the bans and delays of papaya shipments, he said.

Exporters fear that the ban would spread to other tropical fruit and vegetable products if the government continued to ignore the problem.

Exporters of sweet corn, baby corn, tomato, and other food products will be eventually affected, he said, adding that it would be better if the DoA called off the ongoing field trial of GM papaya and moved to clarify the government policy on GMOs.

Chanyuth Boonyahong, managing director of Northern Food Co, an exporter of canned papaya in syrup, fruit cocktail, and dried papaya, said the Carrefour supermarket chain in France had delayed the company's processed papaya shipments for three weeks.

On Thursday, another processed fruit exporter said its papaya shipments had been banned by a well-known food distributor in Germany.

''They may resume canned papaya imports from our company if we could prove that our products are GM-free. However, the GM-testing process will cost us a lot of money,'' said Mr Chanyuth.

The company has so far suffered a loss of about three million baht.

Meanwhile, the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry said the existing ban on Thai papaya shipments was not imposed by the national government, but only by an importing company.
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2.GMO FEARS: 'Papayas are not tainted'
Ministry denies local varieties contaminated during field trials
The Nation, 4 Sep 2004
http://www.biothai.org/cgi-bin/content/news/show.pl?0304

The Agriculture Department yesterday denied that papayas destined for European markets and elsewhere were genetically modified crops.

"Exporters can apply for a department certificate to prove the papayas have not been contaminated," said department director general Chakarn Saengruksawong.

Six exporters have sought |and received such certificates |for their papaya exports to Poland and the Netherlands, he said.

Chakarn said his department's field tests with genetically modified (GM) papayas had not contaminated local crops and that Thailand had not condoned the planting of GM crops.

"I can speak with authority that Thailand has not produced GM papayas or GM crops of any kind. Environmental groups, such as Greenpeace, are wel-come to verify my statement," he said.

He warned that opponents of GM crops should not make |wild accusations about papaya contamination without |checking.

Greenpeace Southeast Asia took up Chakarn's challenge and called on the authorities to stop skirting around the issue of GM papayas and begin to destroy and clean up contaminated crops.

"Test results from independent laboratories in Hong Kong show that some GM papayas on the market are of the Kaek Dam Tha Phra strain, which is available only through the research station run by the Agriculture Department in Khon Kaen," Greenpeace executive director Jiragorn Gajaseni said.

The test results prove field trials of GM papayas had contaminated local crops, she said.

The contamination is a time bomb that could destroy the agricultural industry if authorities failed to deal with it quickly, Jiragorn said.

Organic agriculture advocate Withoon Panyakul urged the authorities to present proof that papaya seeds distributed to farmers were not contaminated.

"Lingering doubts about Thai GM papayas can be dispelled quickly if authorities rush to destroy suspicious papaya crops," he said, drawing an analogy to the culling of millions of chickens to contain the spread of avian flu.

Papaya farmer Somkuan Sriwongchotisakul said she was willing to destroy her crops in Khon Kaen's Phon district if authorities could prove the contamination.

Greenpeace said that the papaya samples from Somkuan's plot were GM papayas.

Somkuan said if her papayas were contaminated, she should receive compensation from the authorities as her seeds came from a government research station.