Heavily dependent on imported oil and petrochemical products, Vietnam is joining the club of bio-based plastics. Tien Thanh Co. Ltd. in Ho Chi Ming City is marketing plastic items made out of wheat or maize flour, a report in the Viet Nam News said.

The product line seems to consist of boxes and cups that are said to decompose in wet environments in 102 days. They cost 40-50 percent more than their conventional plastic counterparts.

The caveat, as I see it, is that the humid tropical nation in Southeast Asia is home to agriculture products such as rice, soybeans and sugar cane, but wheat and maize are not primary crops and the production is limited. Meantime, the soaring food prices in Vietnam will have a great impact on the supply and cost of domestic and imported wheat and corn. The domestic market size for bio-plastic products is also minimal.

With the apparent roadblocks, the concept of corn-based plastic may remain more symbolic than practical for a while.