But scratch the surface and it is apparent the push is on for GM wheat among agriculture's scientific community.

China has allocated millions of dollars to transgenic wheat research and development, and is virtually committed to its introduction.

Kenya may soon become the first African country to trial GM varieties and next month India will introduce a GM eggplant variety that could double yields.

As eggplant is a vital ingredient in the local diet, plant breeders say GM eggplant may be a forerunner for more GM food crops in India and other developing countries.

In a twist to the way scientific developments usually work - starting in developed countries and eventually finding their way to the Third World - GM wheat looks set to reverse the roles.

Support for GM wheat exists among the highest echelons of the world's crop scientists.

Dr Norman Borlaug, the father of the green revolution, who introduced new wheat varieties to India and Pakistan in the late 1960s that doubled wheat yields and saved the lives of an estimated one billion people, is a committed advocate.

"It's the only way to feed the world," said Dr Borlaug, 95, who was feted by fellow plant breeders and biologists, including some from Australia, at the conference in his honour in Sonora, Mexico.

With a mind as alert as when he won the Nobel Prize in 1970, Dr Borlaug said there was "ongoing change" in the global attitude towards GM.

"There's now a fourth pillar to the three essential ingredients needed to maximise wheat production," he said.

"The first three are seed, fertiliser and weed control. The fourth is public policy.

"Without the support of governments, the job of plant scientists is going to be much harder."

* Extract from a full report in Stock Journal, March 26 issue.