Deputy Prime Minister Korn Dabbaransi was cited as saying that Thailand should adopt genetic engineering to increase crop yields and lower costs, however, the government should take heed of the debate on the pros and cons first. 

Europe and the United States held different opinions on whether the world should embrace the technology, telling a seminar on technology's role in sustainable agriculture in Asia held by the United States-based biotechnology company CropLife that, "The EU and the US, the two heavy-weights on biotechnology, are trying to conquer the Asian market, which is home to half the world's population." 

Asia could no longer ignore biotechnology, he said, because the region was obliged to comply with health and environmental regulations, which were often used as non-tariff barriers. Greenpeace Southeast Asia campaigner Varoonvarn Svangsopakul was cited as saying the technology was unsafe, adding, "There is plenty of scientific evidence showing that genetically modified crops destroy useful insects, besides making some harmful insects stronger and resistant to pesticides,
and killing the genes." 

John Skerritt of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, was quoted as saying, "Recent studies on cotton in China showed that farmers achieve higher efficiency, decreased use of pesticides, and a 20-30% reduction in costs." 

The seminar was sponsored by the US Department of Agriculture.