Commerce minister defends US GMO maize deal amid farmers’ concerns

Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun has sought to reassure local farmers over a deal allowing imports of genetically modified organism (GMO) maize from the United States, insisting the agreement will not hurt domestic prices or farmers’ incomes.

Suphajee said recently Thailand would import US maize only when domestic animal feed supplies are insufficient, rejecting concerns that the deal could flood the local market with cheaper imports.

The agreement, signed recently by Thailand’s private sector, allows imports of up to one million tons of US GMO maize under the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Suphajee said Thailand currently faces a significant shortfall in animal feed supplies, with domestic production totaling about five million tons against demand of roughly nine million tons. To bridge the gap, some livestock farms have turned to broken rice, rice bran and cassava as alternative feed sources.

She added that maize imports from neighboring Cambodia and Myanmar have declined because of Thailand’s stricter haze-control measures targeting crops linked to slash-and-burn farming practices.

The minister said safeguards are already in place to protect local producers, including regulations limiting maize imports to no more than one-third of domestic supply.