[searcabic] Latest news postings on biotechnology, 08 July 2009

Wed Jul 8 17:45:10 CST 2009

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*Posted 08 July 2009*

*PHILIPPINES*
1-FILIPINO NATIONAL SCIENTIST EXPRESSES SUPPORT TO BIOTECHNOLOGY IN
TRANSFORMING FILIPINO
LIVES<http://www.bic.searca.org/press_releases/2009/jul03.html>
2-LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY EXPANSION 'ON-HOLD’ IN
NEGROS<http://www.bic.searca.org/news/2009/jul/phi/06.html>
3-GOV. SEEKS REVIEW OF GMO
BAN<http://www.bic.searca.org/news/2009/jul/phi/04.html>
4-BRAZIL, RP INK BIOTECH
PACTS<http://www.bic.searca.org/news/2009/jun/phi/30.html>
5-3 NEW RICE VARIETIES UP FOR COMMERCIAL
CULTIVATION<http://www.bic.searca.org/news/2009/jun/phi/26.html>

*CHINA*
6-GREEN' REVOLUTION UNDER WAY IN RURAL
CHINA<http://www.bic.searca.org/news/2009/jul/chi/05.html>

*JAPAN*
7-JAPANESE SCIENTISTS DESIGN NEW TRANSGENIC RICE TO FIGHT
ALLERGY<http://www.bic.searca.org/news/2009/jul/jap/01.html>
     *1-FILIPINO NATIONAL SCIENTIST EXPRESSES SUPPORT TO BIOTECHNOLOGY IN
TRANSFORMING FILIPINO LIVES *
26-June-2009 SEARCA BIC News Release <http://www.bic.searca.org/>

Dr. Dolores Ramirez, a Filipino national scientist famous for her research
works in biochemical genetics and cytogenetics of plants, urges for
biotechnology research and education support in priming transformation of
Filipino lives. In her keynote speech during the 10th Year Anniversary of
the University of the Philippines Graduate Program on Molecular Biology and
Biotechnology and 4th Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Symposium held
recently, Dr. Ramirez said, “MBB covers wide spectrum of life and sciences
and its application to agriculture, health, industry and to the environment
can offer solutions that can contribute to improving Filipino lives”. She
urges for awareness and appreciation of MBB as early as possible so that
misconceptions are diminished through time. She added that biotech research
and its products can also trigger transformation in Filipino lives, one
example of which is the Bt corn being adopted in the country for more than 7
years now.

Local biological researches are also being conducted in both public and
private R&D institutions that are expected to commercialize agricultural
biotech products in the country in the next few years. “Bacterial blight
resistant rice and Golden rice are being developed by the International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI) and the Philippine Rice Research Institute
(PhilRice). Likewise, the University of the Philippines Los Baños is working
on the development of banana and abaca resistant to bunchy top virus as well
as papaya with delayed ripening trait,” said Dr. Ramirez.

However, Dr. Ramirez called for stronger government funding support to
biotech R&D in the country. “Support to science in the country is
negligible. Last year, government expenditure to biotech R&D was only 0.12%
of the country’s gross domestic products (GDP)” she said. Furthermore, she
stressed that improvement of biotech research facilities in public and
academic institutions must also be given high priority by the government.
She challenged those doing research work on MBB to do more collaboration
with the research institutions from other countries such as shuttle research
and student exchange program.

The MBB symposium and anniversary was organized by the UPLB MBB Graduate
Program in cooperation with the SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center and
the Institute of Chemistry, UPLB. *(Rochella B. Lapitan)
*
*------------------------------------------------------------*
*2-LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY EXPANSION ‘ON-HOLD’ IN NEGROS*
by Ma. Ester L. Espina, Correspondent
06-July-2009 Manila
Times<http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/july/06/yehey/prov/20090706pro1.html>

*Businessmen urge council to hasten review of Ordinance 007 that prohibits
genetically modified organisms*

BACOLOD CITY: Plans of expansion in both the swine and poultry industry in
Negros Occidental has been deferred pending a thorough review of the
anti-genetically modified organism (GMO) law that the province of Negros
Occidental has recently implemented.

In a press conference over the weekend, livestock industry leaders urged the
provincial council to hasten their review of Ordinance 007 that prohibits
the entry of both living and non-living genetically modified organisms in
the province, with the hope that it will be to their advantage.

Albert Lim, president of the National Hog Raisers Association as well as the
head of the Negros Hog Raisers Association criticized the provincial
government’s recent implementation of the law as “contrary to the national
government’s policy on using biotechnology to improve productivity and make
our industry competitive in both the local and global market.”

The livestock industry has earlier complained that the law will cause their
industry to “collapse” after the provincial government stopped and turned
away the entry of an estimated P1 million worth of genetically modified corn
used for feeds.

Lim said what is more worrisome is the “negative signal” the law is sending
to investors. He said there have been plans for two feed producers to expand
in Negros and produce feeds for the growing industry “which could have spelt
livelihood for our people but is now on-hold because of the ban.”

The ban also required industry players now to buy mixed feeds in neighboring
provinces, which is P2 higher per kilo than before. With the industry’s need
at 900,000 kilos per day, Lim said this amounts to P1.8 million additional
costs for hog and poultry raisers. With the ban in effect, some breeders
have reportedly shifted to wheat which is ironically also GMO but which does
not provide “enough protein” than GMO corn.

Former Rep. Manuel Puey of Negros who is the president of the Negros
Occidental Poultry Raisers Association said the longer the provincial
government does not make a decision on the matter, “there is a probability
that investors will simply relocate to other provinces.”

Puey said the province’s poultry industry has grown so big that it produces
about a million broilers a month. Like the hog industry, Negros has become
an exporter for livestock with Cebu province getting a good share of its
Negros pork.

Puey who is also an egg producer said that if they will be forced to close
shop, “we will have no choice but to get eggs from neighboring Bantayan
Island,” which also uses GMO feeds for their chicken. “Because of this law,
we will still be buying GMO-fed products from other sources.”

Rey de la Rama, president of the Alliance of Hog Raisers in Negros
Occidental representing commercial producers also said they are under “so
much pressure because this is our livelihood. How much more for the backyard
raisers,” he asked.

Ironically, a provincial government program for livestock propagation also
includes giving out GMO feeds for their beneficiaries and has pushed for the
expansion of the industry to get away from the image of Negros Occidental as
a monocrop industry.

Meanwhile, the sugar industry has added its voice to those opposing the law
after the Philippine Sugar Research Institute came out with a statement
urging the review of the law in the light that their research to improve
sugar cane varieties also involves experimenting with both living and
non-living genetically modified organisms.

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*3-GOV. SEEKS REVIEW OF GMO BAN*
by Ma. Ester A. Espina (Correspondent)
04-July-2009 Manila
Times<http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/july/04/yehey/prov/20090704pro1.html>

*Controversial ordinance was crafted to turn Negros into ‘organic*

BACOLOD CITY: After months of debate and growing opposition to the anti-GMO
(genetically modified organisms) ordinance recently implemented in the
Province of Negros Occidental, Gov. Isidro Zayco finally asked the
provincial board council to subject the said law under a “thorough review.”

The ordinance that was passed in 2007 but was only recently implemented with
the arrest and order to turn around for an estimated P1- million shipment of
genetically modified corn, generated reaction from the livestock industry
who were taken by surprise with the sudden implementation of the law, “we
were never made aware that such a law even existed.”

The law was crafted in the province’s thrust to make Negros Island into an
“organic bowl,” and disallows entry of both living and non-living GMO
products.

Albert Lim, president of the Negros Hog Raisers Association, said they are
appealing to the provincial government to issue a “moratorium” for at least
two years to enable industry stakeholders to prepare for the eventual phase
out of GMO corn.

At the rate this is going, “the implementation of the law will lead to the
collapse of the livestock and poultry industry,” said Lim who added that
they are currently more than 80 percent dependent on GMO feeds for their
animals.

In a turnaround, Zayco said there is a need for a thorough review of the
ordinance after the sugar industry joined in the call for a moratorium or
amendment to the ordinance. This, after the Philippine Sugar Research
Institute sent a letter that they are using both living and non-living
genetically modified organisms in their research to improve sugarcane
variety and productivity.

Earlier, some sectors opposed to the ordinance also dared the provincial
government “not to be selective” and fully implement the law which should
include banning “more than half of the contents of a grocery store,” and not
just GMO corn.

Speculations of bribe money as well as pay-off allegedly involving
provincial employees have been circulating which irked the governor who
dared those spreading it to show proof.

Meanwhile, Zayco also admitted that the council should also look closely
into the capability of the province to implement the law after a proposal
sent to a New Zealand firm revealed that setting up a GMO detecting
laboratory would cost more than P210 million, not to mention hiring of
additional personnel who will enforce the law.

Lim on the other hand said they are not against the ordinance and would even
support the province in its thrust to increase organic produce in Negros
“but it should not also prohibit the entry of GMO corn which is what we used
as feeds.”

Rodney Taala, president of the Association of Backyard Hog Raisers said they
are now feeling the pinch with feeds coming from neighboring Iloilo province
costing P2 higher than before. “It’s a difference of not less P1.8 million
per day considering we are consuming more than 900 tons daily.”

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*4-BRAZIL, RP INK BIOTECH PACTS*
by Riza T. Olchondra
30-June-2009 Philippine Daily
Inquirer<http://business.inquirer.net/money/topstories/view/20090630-213055/Brazil-RP-ink-biotech-pacts>

MANILA, Philippines—The agriculture department’s agribusiness marketing and
investment promotion arm has forged biotechnology agreements with Brazilian
agencies.

According to the Philippine Agricultural Development and Commercial Corp.
(PADCC), the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corp. (Embrapa) has agreed to
share propagation materials for high-value crops, livestock, biofuels and
fisheries, as well as technology on crop assessment and production estimate
systems.

“We have agreed to cooperate in the field of science and technology toward
our common goal of promoting sustainable agricultural development and
institutional strengthening in our respective countries,” PADCC yesterday
said in a joint statement with Embrapa.

PADCC said its president, Marriz Agbon, signed a memorandum of understanding
with Embrapa president Silvio Crestana.

Brazilian cattle breeders also promised to donate semen of the Girolando
breed of dairy cattle to the Philippines, PADCC said.

Secretary Arthur Yap said the donation provides an opportunity for the
improvement of the Philippine’s dairy cattle industry.

The Philippines recognizes Brazil’s leading role as one of the major
producers of cattle and other livestock worldwide. he added.

The Philippines largely sources its dairy cattle breed through importation
of a crossbreed of the Indian Sahiwal and the New Zealand Holstein—“an
expensive and unsustainable practice,” Yap said.

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*5-3 NEW RICE VARIETIES UP FOR COMMERCIAL CULTIVATION*
26-June-2009 Malaya <http://www.malaya.com.ph/jul07/agri1.htm>

Three new rice varieties designed to help farmers grow more rice in
difficult conditions have been officially recommended for approval for
commercial cultivation in the country and are expected to help the
Philippines become less dependent on rice imports.

Bred by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), one variety is
flood-tolerant, one is drought-tolerant, and one is salt-tolerant.

"In the Philippines about 400,000 hectares of rice-growing land is affected
by salinity, and in any year up to 370,000 hectares can be flood-affected,"
said Dr. David Mackill, program leader and plant breeder at IRRI. "Both
these conditions can completely destroy a rice crop or decrease yield.

"Yield is also reduced by drought that occurs in upland and rain-fed areas
where rice is not irrigated. Having rice varieties that can cope with
difficult growing conditions such as flood, drought, and salinity will be
particularly helpful for poor farmers who rely on marginal land to grow
their rice.

"Rice-growing land that has limited productivity will become more productive
when these new rice varieties are used – this will help Filipino farmers
produce more rice," he added.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,
every year Filipinos eat an average of more than 100 kilograms of rice per
person. With population increasing, demand for rice continues to grow in the
Philippines, which is already the world’s biggest rice importer.

"The development of these rice varieties demonstrates how IRRI and its
partners can increase the yield of rice through research," said Dr. Mackill.

"Ongoing investment in rice research, breeding, and extension will help to
increase rice yields and improve the sustainability of rice production to
help avoid future rice price increases."

The new rice varieties have been tested in field conditions and evaluated by
the Rice Varietal Improvement Group through the National Cooperative Testing
program of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).

"The Rice Technical Working Group of the National Seed Industry Council will
now recommend the varieties for official approval, which is expected to
occur sometime in late 2009," said Thelma Padolina, NCT national coordinator
at PhilRice.

As a nonprofit organization, IRRI provides the seed for these new varieties
at no cost to PhilRice.

PhilRice has already started distributing small amounts of seed to farmers
for further adaptation tests. Seed increase of breeder and foundation seeds
is now being done by IRRI and PhilRice. When officially approved, basic seed
will be available to seed growers and selected farmers that can cater to
other farmers. It is also expected that seed exchange among farmers in the
target areas will be active with the new technologies.

IRRI and PhilRice continue to work together and more new rice varieties
especially designed for the Philippines are expected to be released soon.

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*CHINA
6-GREEN' REVOLUTION UNDER WAY IN RURAL CHINA
*By Elizabeth Yuan
05-July-2009 CNN<http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/07/03/china.alternative.energy/index.html?eref=rss_latest>

LIJIANG, China (CNN) -- In the northwest of China's mountainous Yunnan
province, among the world's most biodiverse areas, a green revolution is
under way among rural residents.

In Meiquan Village near Lashi Lake, Zhang Chengui says he has been able to
maximize profits by spending more time growing crops since installing a
biogas digester-greenhouse, solar water heater, energy-efficient stove and
rain-collecting cistern. He installed them with loans from the bank and
grants from The Nature Conservancy, becoming in 2003 the first in his
village to adopt alternative energy.

Since then, his income has tripled to 40,000-50,000 yuan ($5,800-$7,300), he
said.

The region, which sees the crossing of three of Asia's great rivers -- the
Yangtze, Mekong and Salween -- is a poor one, with firewood traditionally
being the source for cooking, heating and housing for half a million
households. However, despite a decade-long ban on commercial logging, such a
firewood-dependent lifestyle poses a threat to Yunnan's forests and its more
than 17,000 plants and wildlife, including the endangered golden monkey.

Zhang's status as Meiquan's village leader made him a natural choice to
launch the alternative energy project there. By enlisting him as an ally,
The Nature Conservancy was able to slowly persuade other villagers, who
would otherwise be hesitant to invest their limited money.

Hundreds of households in the area have followed his lead. Under the Nature
Conservancy's alternative energy project, 820 households adopted biogas
digesters, and 600 adopted solar water heaters, many of them choosing both,
according to Zhu Li, communications manager at the nongovernmental
organization's Kunming office.

The Nature Conservancy says it and partners have taken the alternative
energy project to 420 villages in Yunnan, installing more than 14,000 biogas
units, energy efficient stoves and solar water heating systems. Most of
those villages are remote and had relied on nearby forests as opposed to a
power grid.

To tap money for such devices, villagers can receive small loans under the
GreenVillage Credit program. Part of the United Nations Environment
Programme's China Rural Energy Enterprises Development (CREED) initiative,
the program has successful precedents in five African nations -- Senegal,
Mali, Ghana, Zambia and Tanzania -- and northeast Brazil. The approach,
developed by clean energy investor E+Co, helps entrepreneurs take risks in
an otherwise emerging sector in order to gain public trust and attract
commercial investment.

The goal is to overcome the hurdles generally posed by limited money and
training in such remote areas -- and reduce fuel wood consumption by 75
percent. The initiative -- which links the government with nongovernmental
organizations and financial institutions -- harnesses financing, alternative
energy sources, entrepreneurship and training into income-generating
activities.

In addition, the CREED initiative aims to provide alternatives for rural
areas where women and children shoulder the burden of collecting firewood
and wood burning. The number of hours spent daily, as well as the
detrimental health effects of wood burning and indoor pollution -- such as
eye and respiratory ailments -- risk contributing to the persistence of the
area's poverty.

In a report last year ("Investing in a Climate for Change"), the U.N.
Environment Programme said that finance is "essential" in addressing climate
change. "Without substantial and sustained investment in clean energy and
other measures now, the reality of a global economy free of climate change
impacts will remain a distant dream," the report noted.

For most Yunnan households, whose average yearly income is a few hundred
dollars, a biogas digester ($150-$300), a solar water heater ($400), or an
efficiency stove ($40-80) is too costly, The Nature Conservancy points out.

Under GreenVillage Credit, households can apply for loans up to 10,000 yuan
($1460) after mapping out their income-generating activity from such
devices. To offset any default, 5 percent of the loan is deposited at a bank
as a guarantee, and a solidarity group of five to eight households is formed
to share responsibility for the member's loan repayments. In return,
participants get technical support and have about 18 months to pay the loan
off.

Nearly 600 households have been able to tap more than $300,000 in loans to
purchase such energy-efficient systems and generate income, thanks to
GreenVillage Credit.

Whereas Zhang's family used to spend hours seeking, chopping and carrying
firewood, the switch to alternative energy has enabled them to save the
equivalent of 100 working days, he estimated. Thanks to the solar heater, a
shower is a daily possibility, and the biogas digester -- which converts
human and pig waste to a clean gas that can be pressurized -- has enabled
cooking and lighting. More time is then left to devote to his
income-generating greenhouse, which uses waste slurry left over from the
biogas digester as fertilizer for his grapes, strawberries, apples, plums,
cherries, peaches, eggplant, cucumber, tomatoes and squash.

Thanks to increased income, his children were freed up to attend the
university, said the 53-year-old Zhang, whose own education ended with high
school. Zhang's children have since graduated; his son became a magazine
editor, while his daughter became a government official, Zhang said.

"What we have today cannot be separated from alternative energy," Zhang told
journalists visiting his home last year. His life's goal, he said, was to
educate the next generation well and see an improvement in his
grandchildren's lives.

Elsewhere in China, biogas projects have proven more popular than in Yunnan,
where colder temperatures generally require a greenhouse to cover the units.

As of the end of 2007, more than 26.5 million rural households were using
household biodigesters, saving the equivalent of 44 million tons of CO2
emissions, according to China's State Council Information Office. The number
is notable for a country criticized for its environmental record while
trying to bridge a wide income gap between urban dwellers and rural
residents who lack access to modern energy services.

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*JAPAN
7-JAPANESE SCIENTISTS DESIGN NEW TRANSGENIC RICE TO FIGHT ALLERGY
*01-July-2009 MedIndia<http://www.medindia.net/news/Japanese-Scientists-Design-New-Transgenic-Rice-To-Fight-Allergy-53846-1.htm>

Japanese scientists have achieved a breakthrough in advancing towards the
next generation of genetically modified rice, which will fight allergies
instead of causing them.

According to report in Live Science, the new transgenic rice has been
designed to fight a common pollen allergy appears safe in animal studies.

Fumio Takaiwa and colleagues note that the first generation of
genetically-modified crops was designed to help keep crops free of weeds and
bugs. The next generation of transgenic crops is being developed to directly
benefit human health.

This includes vegetables and grains that produce higher levels of nutrients,
such as vitamins and minerals, or even medicines and vaccines.

Like the first generation of transgenic foods, however, researchers are
anxiously trying to determine whether foods produced from these
"biopharmaceutical" crops will be safe for humans and the environment.

The rice plant has been genetically engineered to fight allergies to
Japanese cedar pollen, a growing public health problem in Japan that affects
about 20 percent of the population.

In laboratory studies, the researchers fed a steamed version of the
transgenic rice and a non-transgenic version to a group of monkeys everyday
for 26 weeks.

At the end of the study period, the test animals did not show any health
problems, in an initial demonstration that the allergy-fighting rice may be
safe for consumption, according to the researchers.

More research will be needed to bring the rice to market.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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*---------------------------------------------------------*
*Download available paper and/or presentation handouts of some notable
speakers presented at SEARCA Agriculture and Development Series. CLICK HERE.
* <http://www.searca.org/web/adss/2009/index.html>
*---------------------------------------------------------*

*SEARCA ADSS: Public Perception of Agricultural Biotechnology: Implications
to Communication Planning* <http://www.searca.org/>
*Speaker: Dr. Cleofe S. Torres, Assoc. Professor and Dean, College of Dev't.
Communication, University of the Philippine Los Baños
SEARCA, College, Laguna, Philippines
14 July 2009, 4:00 - 5:00 PM*

*1st Regional Conference in
Biotechnology*<http://www.bic.searca.org/events/index2009.html#august>
*Traders Hotel, Manila, Philippines
30 - 31 July 2009*

*Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference
(ABIC 2009)* <http://www.bic.searca.org/events/index2009.html#abic2009>
*Bangkok, Thailand
22 - 25 September 2009*

*International Conference on Knowledge Management in Agribiotechnology: The
Asian Experience* <http://www.bic.searca.org/>
*Bangkok, Thailand
01-02 October 2009*
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