[searcabic] Latest news postings on biotechnology, 07 June 2009
SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center
searcabic at gmail.com
Sun Jun 7 12:17:50 CST 2009
Right click images to view this page properly. If this e-mail does not
appear as a web page, please click
here.<http://www.bic.searca.org/e-news/index3.htm>
*Posted 07 June 2009*
*PHILIPPINES*
1-FILIPINO FARMERS WELCOME NEW RICE
VARIETIES<http://www.bic.searca.org/news/2009/jun/phi/04.html>
2 -PHILIPPINE AGRICULTURE UNDERSECRETARY COUNTS ON BIOTECH IN MITIGATING
WATER AND ENERGY
CRISES<http://www.bic.searca.org/press_releases/2009/may29.html>
3 -AGRI EXPERTS WANT ANTI-GMO ORDINANCE
REVISED<http://www.bic.searca.org/news/2009/jun/phi/03.html>
4 -UP MINDANAO GETS BIOTECH
FACILITY<http://www.bic.searca.org/news/2009/may/phi/31.html>
5 -ORGANIC AGRICULTURE GOES BEYOND GMO
BAN<http://www.bic.searca.org/news/2009/may/phi/28.html>
*KOREA*
6 -SEOUL URGES ASEAN TO GO
‘GREEN’<http://www.bic.searca.org/news/2009/may/kor/26.html>
*MEXICO*
7 -MEXICO OKs GM CORN <http://www.bic.searca.org/news/2009/jun/mex/01.html>
*GLOBAL*
8 -VATICAN STUDY ENDORSES GMOS FOR FOOD
SECURITY<http://www.bic.searca.org/news/2009/may/global/26.html>
*1-FILIPINO FARMERS WELCOME NEW RICE VARIETIES*
04-June-2009 IRRI Press
Release<http://beta.irri.org/news/index.php/press-releases/filipino-farmers-welcome-new-rice-varieties.html>
Los Baños, Philippines – Three new rice varieties designed to help Filipino
farmers grow more rice in difficult conditions have been officially
recommended for approval for commercial cultivation in the Philippines 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 Ms. 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.
This research is financially supported by the Federal Government of Germany,
the CGIAR Generation Challenge Programme, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Japan, and the Rockefeller Foundation.
Contact
Sophie Clayton: Tel. +63 2 580 5600 (ext. 2204), Mob. +63 917 552 6082,
s.clayton at cgiar.org
*------------------------------------------------------------*
*2-PHILIPPINE AGRICULTURE UNDERSECRETARY COUNTS ON BIOTECH IN MITIGATING
WATER AND ENERGY CRISES
*by Jenny A. Panopio
29-May-2009 SEARCA BIC News
Release<http://www.bic.searca.org/press_releases/2009/may29.html>
The Philippine’s Undersecretary for Policy and Planning Segfredo R. Serrano
supports biotechnology as one of the interventions that can provide new set
of tools in mitigating the challenges of water and energy crises in the
country. “Biotechnology is one of the emerging technologies which the
Philippine government supports to develop a new platform of technologies in
meeting these challenges. The Philippines is the only country in the
Southeast Asia with an established and functional biotechnology regulatory
system, and this will pave the way for the commercialization of
biotechnology products that can help in meeting these challenges” shares
Usec. Serrano during the opening of the Annual Conference of the Federation
of the Crop Science Society of the Philippines last May 19, 2009 held in
Silliman University, Dumaguete City. Usec Serrano added that the Department
of Agriculture will continuously support biotechnology research, development
and extension efforts to attain food sufficiency and improve health and well
being of the Filipinos.
In addition, Dr. Antonio C. Laurena of University of the Philippines Los
Baños Institute of Plant Breeding shared the current research and
development initiatives in biotechnology which are aimed in meeting the
water and energy crises. These include drought-tolerant crops such as rice,
corn, wheat and sugarcane, as well as genetically engineered biofuel crops
as one option in boosting biofuel production. In the near future, products
of these initiatives will be available to the farmers and to the entire
community.
For additional information about the biotech updates in the Philippines,
visit www.bic.searca.org or send an email to bic at agri.searca.org.
*------------------------------------------------------------*
*3-AGRI EXPERTS WANT ANTI-GMO ORDINANCE REVISED*
By George M. de la Cruz
03-June-2009 Sun Star
Bacolod<http://www.sunstar.com.ph/bacolod/agri-experts-want-anti-gmo-ordinance-revised#comment-5198>
AGRICULTURE experts and scientists Tuesday unanimously declared that
genetically-modified organisms (GMO) are safe for both humans and animals.
However, there is still a possibility that GMO could still cause "risks"
which Dr. Nina G. Gloriani theorized would only be "on a very low level."
Gloriani opined that there is no exact definition for "safe" but stressed
that "anything that has the affinity to thrive with ecology would always
adapt to it on a certain level and strength."
The group that presented scientific explanations and features of GMO in
Tuesday's seminar on biotechnology and biosafety at the Business Inn, in
Bacolod City, recommended the need to modify or revise some provisions of
Provincial Ordinance 007-2007, which bans the entry of GMO-infected agri
products into the province.
But livestock, poultry raisers and grain growers, who were present during
the seminar, remained vehement in opposing said ordinance. The provincial
government, through the ad hoc committee, is presently studying
possibilities whether to lift or not the ban it imposed on GMO-infected corn
feeds.
Provincial Board Members Patrick Lacson and Enrique Miguel Lacson, who chair
the committees on commerce, trade and industry and on food security,
respectively, represented Gov. Isidro Zayco in Tuesday's seminar.
Dr. Randy A. Hautea, coordinator and director for Global and SEAsia Center,
International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications
(ISAAA), opined that those provisions, which are not consistent with its
implementation need to be revised or modified.
"To ban the entry of any agri-product believed to be GMO-infected is not as
fair to the farmers (considering) the fact that the issue on GMO is not only
exclusive to agriculture but in ornamentals, food production, among others,
and those that has the affinity to biodiversity. Ban per se is selective and
in the case of Negros, appears to have exclusivity, making some of the
provisions of the ordinance inconsistent, which actually needed to be
revised," Hautea said.
He noted that if agri products are to be banned, then a ban on pesticides
will also follow because it is as well genetically-engineered and the
farmers are the group of people who would most likely suffer the
consequence.
Findings on the studies conducted by the Department of Agriculture (DA),
also with the Pontifical Academy for Sciences, proved that GMO is
"praiseworthy for improving the lives of the poor, especially the farmers
group."
"We don't allow, as a rule of law, neither tolerate those that has a bad
effect to biodiversity," said Dr. Saturnina Halos, chair of the Department
of Agriculture Biotech Advisory Team.
Distinctions between a GM-positive and non-GM organisms were also presented
wherein those which are positive were said to be more cost-effective, safe
for human consumption, and benefit human health, could help the developing
world, cut down on pesticide and herbicide use, and help preserve natural
habitats while those which are negative could increase herbicide and
pesticide use, could damage non-GM farmers, have unpredictable health risks,
won't help feed the developed world, and mainly benefits big biotechnology
companies.
Non-GM corn is infested with corn borers and is contaminated with bacteria
and fungi. These fungi produce aflatoxins which can cause or associated with
liver cancer, the presentation showed.
"This corn may have also been treated with chemical pesticides but not
protected against corn borer; and farmers are exposed to chemical pesticides
with ill-effects on human health," Hautea said.
*------------------------------------------------------------*
*4-UP MINDANAO GETS BIOTECH FACILITY *
by Yas D. Ocampo and Rene Estremera
31-May-2009 The Philippine
STAR<http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=472904&publicationSubCategoryId=77>
MANILA, Philippines - A research program on indigenous bio-resources once
made headlines by transforming the ubiquitous sago into a very promising
income generator in Mindanao.
But sago is just the beginning. “Other abundant indigenous resources like
nipa, kaong, and some forest species ornamentals will soon be included in
the program,” according to Dr. Dulce M. Flores, project leader of a research
program that aims to shorten the process and reduce the cost of producing
“value-added” products such as industrial lactic acid, ethanol, and
biodegradable plastics from starch.
To boost the project, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and UP
Mindanao (UPMin) recently launched the DOST-UPMin Biotechnology Facility at
UPMin’s College of Science and Mathematics in Davao City. The facility is
expected to help Mindanao utilize its unused indigenous bio-resources for
economic development.
“We feel very proud of this. This is a milestone for UP Mindanao,” UPMin
Chancellor Gilda C. Rivero told media in a press conference.
She recounted how the project had been proposed almost two years ago. When
the DOST approved a grant of P23 million for the UPMin Biotechnology
Research Program and the establishment of the facility, UPMin was enabled to
do more in-depth and advanced research work in biotechnology and has, at
present, become a center of biotechnology in Mindanao. “We are now on our
first year, and I think we’ve met [our] goals,” the chancellor reported.
According to Flores, sago was chosen for the initial phase of the project
due to its abundance and high starch yield. The potential of sago to help in
Mindanao’s economic development immediately captured the attention of
program sponsors DOST and the Philippine Council for Advanced Science and
Technology Research and Development (PCASTRD). During a press conference at
the inauguration of the facility, PCASTRD Executive Director Reynaldo V.
Ebora described sago as a viable food source that can serve as an
alternative to corn and other local crops.
DOST Secretary Estrella F. Alabastro praised UPMin’s efforts at
biotechnology and held it as an example of how the academe can help lessen
the dependence on non-renewable materials.
Alabastro said UPMin has now become part of the network of older UP campuses
involved in biotechnology research: UP Diliman, UP Manila, UP Los Baños, and
UP Visayas - all of which have their own institutes of biotechnology. UPLB
is focused on agricultural biotechnology, UPM on medical applications of
biotechnology, and UPV on marine biotechnology.
Aside from extracting “value-added” products from sago, the UPMin
biotechnology program has also embarked on an inventory of sago palms
growing in the forests of Mindanao and other places in the country; the
study of its pests, natural friends, and microbial growth regulators; and
the micro-propagation of sago palms.
President Emerlinda R. Roman said projects like these prove that UPMin can
do more than offer degree programs to help the country. At a time when UPMin
is still grappling with its identity as a constituent university, it has
embarked on research works tailored to fit the needs of its clientele. The
strengthening of its Science and Technology capabilities is also in line
with its mandate to apply UP expertise to the concerns of Mindanao.
According to Roman, studies on indigenous food and bio-resources found in
Mindanao fall under Mindanao studies, a broad field UPMin can excel in.
*------------------------------------------------------------*
*5-ORGANIC AGRICULTURE GOES BEYOND GMO BAN*
by Nanette L. Guadalquiver
28-May-2009 BusinessWorld
BACOLOD CITY- The Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation, Inc., a
non-government organization promoting sustainable agricultural production
here, said the concept and promotion of organic agriculture in Negros
Occidental should not be limited to the ban of genetically-modified
organisms (GMO) or products.
“We encourage the provincial government to expound its concept and promotion
of organic agriculture by not limiting it to a GMO ban but more importantly,
instituting systems and mechanism for food security development and
sustainability,” the foundation’s executive committee said in a statement.
The statement was given amid the controversial enforcement of the provincial
ordinance imposing the GMO ban.
The foundation said support systems for organic agriculture development
should also be put in place such as alternative organic fertilizers and
feeds, subsidized trainings on organic agriculture, and technical and
financial support for agrarian reform beneficiaries willing to engage in
organic farming.
Incidentally, the foundation developed the Ashden Award-wining renewable
technology called the hydraulic ram pump used to bring water uplands through
hydroenergy.
There should also be certification of local organic producers, a market for
organic products, and support for groups and institutions engaged in the
development and promotion of appropriate and renewable technologies, it
added.
The foundation stressed the need for food sovereignty as a nation’s right to
determine its agricultural, labor, aquatic, food and land policies, which it
considers the best road map to a genuine and lasting people’s development.
For food security to be sustainable, it must be based on nurturing multiple
sources of food and not rely on the massive production of monocrops.
Negros Occidental, being a sugar monocrop economy, yields about 60% of the
country’s sugar.
The foundation noted that the most food secure populations are those that
harness biodiversity in their food production systems, noting that
monocropping and a plantation economy have only brought devastation to
community genetic resources and widespread disempowerment, poverty and
disease to an increasing number of people.
Biodiversity has provided the necessary resource base for different
communities to adapt to varying conditions in the environment, it added.
Nevertheless, the foundations said that along with its partners, they laud
and support the efforts of the provincial government to promote and
institutionalize organic agriculture because central to sustainable
agriculture is organic farming.
It added that sustainable agriculture also means that food products are
distributed and marketed sustainably, and are thus not export-oriented.
By marketing food locally, farmers save on fuel and labor costs, and focus
on local markets also ensures that farming communities are able to earn a
living.
At a consultation last week at the Capitol, civil society representatives
presented a resolution calling for the enforcement of the Negros Occidental
and Bacolod City ordinances banning GMOs in both the province and the city.
They added that while there are sectors seeking to amend, if not do away
with Provincial Ordinance 007, civil society recognizes the dangers posed by
GMOs on endemic and indigenous plant and animal species and on the health of
the people.
The resolution also asked Gov. Isidro Zayco to immediately constitute an
enforcement unit under the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, joined by
appropriate local and national law enforcement agencies and civil society
organizations.
*------------------------------------------------------------*
*KOREA
6-SEOUL URGES ASEAN TO GO ‘GREEN’
*by Llanesca T. Panti (Reporter)
26-May-2009 Manila
Times<http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/may/26/yehey/top_stories/20090526top5.html>
South Korea has called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)
for more investments in developing new and renewable sources of energy.
Its President Lee Myung-Bak noted that if South Korea’s “green technology”—a
fusion of information technology, biotechnology and nano technology—was
combined with Asean’s opportunities in “green” growth, both parties could
move closer to creating “low-carbon smart cities.”
Lee disclosed that Seoul is working to put in place “smart grids” that would
help South Korea and Asean to drastically reduce carbon emissions, increase
efficiency and reduce overall consumption.
Asean, composed of the Philippines, Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia,
Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam, is South Korea’s
third-largest trading partner. It constitutes the second-largest overseas
investment destination of South Korea.
*President Lee’s speech*
Seoul “is making bold investments in developing new sources of clean energy
in order to remain globally competitive. With climate change accelerating at
such an alarming rate, we can no longer be complacent,” Lee said in his
speech ahead of the Asean-South Korea Commemorative Summit on Jeju Island on
June 1 to 2. The Manila Times had obtained a copy of the speech.
The South Korean president said that while his country’s journey toward
economic progress has been marked by many proud achievements, South Korea
also made mistakes, particularly on its over-reliance on fossil fuels.
He revealed that South Korea used to get more than 97 percent of its energy
needs from abroad and, in the past, Lee said, many thought such situation
was unavoidable.
As such, he suggested that South Korea and Asean cooperate in research
activities to develop various forms of alternative energies, as well as
forestation projects that would play a pivotal role in tackling global
warming.
“Climate change is a daunting challenge that requires concerted global
effort, but it can also be an historic opportunity for promoting cooperation
between South Korea and Asean,” Lee pointed out.
“Through this [cooperation] and much more, South Korea and Asean can become
the world’s pioneering leaders and the world’s ‘green’ research hub that
introduces new innovations and turn ‘green’ ideas into reality,” he said.
The East Asia Climate Partnership that Seoul launched in 2008, according to
Lee, can also strengthen such “green” partnership. Additionally, the
impending Asean Free Trade Agreement is expected to be a factor such team-up
as it will facilitate not only trade and investment but also promote
cultural, tourism and educational exchanges.
“Having spent a great deal of my time in Asean countries as a young
businessman, I recall the warm hospitality, thriving entrepreneurship and
the magnificent cultural splendor of Asean. This is why I know that there is
so much South Korea can learn from and share with our Asean friends,” he
said. Until Lee became the president of South Korea, he was the Chief
Executive Officer of Hyundai Corp.
*Leaders’ meeting*
He will meet with the leaders from the 10 Asean member-states and the
secretary-general of Asean at the Jeju summit but will hold separate summits
in Seoul with four Asean leaders—Philippine President Gloria Arroyo and
Prime Ministers Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, Hun Sen of Cambodia and Nguyen
Tan Dung of Vietnam. All four will make official visits to South Korea on
the occasion of the commemorative summit.
Based on Department of Foreign Affairs records, South Korea is one of the
Philippines’ most dynamic bilateral partners. Bilateral trade between the
two countries stands at around $5.06 billion, while over $3 billion in South
Korean investments have topped the list of the Philippines’ foreign direct
investment inflows. Furthermore, at least 600,000 South Korean tourists
visit the Philippines annually—the largest share of the visitor arrivals to
the Philippines.
*------------------------------------------------------------*
*MEXICO
7-MEXICO OKs GM CORN
*by Veronica Guerrero
01-June-2009 Nature Biotechnology 27, 404 (2009) via Truth Abut Trade and
Technology <http://www.truthabouttrade.org/content/view/14018/54/lang,en/>
Mexico has reformed its law to allow planting of genetically modified (GM)
corn on experimental plots, ending 11 years of moratorium and controversy.
Until this change in the law announced in March, Mexico had banned GM corn
cultivation completely. Even though legislation governing GM crops had been
passed in 2005, because Mexico is considered the birthplace of corn, rules
related to GM were deemed to require special treatment.
Fabrice Salamanca, director general of AgroBio Mexico, a Mexican biotech
association, explains that the recently amended guidelines contained in the
Biosafety Law on Genetically Modified Organisms, also establish the need to
create a seed bank to preserve different types of native or 'criollo' maize
and provide financial support to encourage the use and conservation of
native varieties. The experimental plots will be located exclusively in the
northern region of Mexico, far from the states with native corn diversity.
Critics argue that, despite the rigorous specifications set out in the newly
reformed law, data on the potential impact of GM corn on the crop's genetic
diversity are lacking. But Salamanca points out that performing any survey
in situ would have been impossible because the Biosafety Law prevented
experimental GM planting. The new regulations, which include three
phases-experimental, pilot crops and commercial planting-will ensure crops
are assessed on a case-by-case basis. "If [the growers] don't provide
evidence of the GM crop's value, they won't be allowed to continue
cultivation."
*------------------------------------------------------------*
*GLOBAL
8-VATICAN STUDY ENDORSES GMOS FOR FOOD SECURITY
*by John L Allen Jr
26-May-2009 National Catholic
Reporter<http://ncronline.org/news/ecology/vatican-study-endorses-gmos-food-security>
Rome, Italy - In what seemed largely a foregone conclusion, a May 15-19
study week on genetically modified organisms sponsored by the Pontifical
Academy for Sciences ended with a strong endorsement of GMOs as
“praiseworthy for improving the lives of the poor,” and promising “improved
food safety and health benefits, better food security, and enhanced
environmental performance in a sustainable manner.”
Although the Pontifical Academy for Sciences is a prestigious Vatican body,
it does not set official church teaching, and it remains unclear whether its
conclusions will drive the Vatican toward a formal position on GMOs.
While a concluding document from the study week had not been released as NCR
went to press, participants who characterized its content said its pro-GMO
conclusions enjoyed “unanimous agreement” among the 41 experts from 17
countries who took part.
Organized by German scientist Ingo Potrykus, the inventor of “golden rice,”
the study week had been criticized by anti-GMO activists for including only
voices already convinced of the benefits of genetically modified crops. This
is the second time that the Pontifical Academy of Sciences has endorsed
GMOs, following an initial report adopted in 2001 and published in 2004.
Critics charge that GMOs give excessive control over farming practices to
large agribusiness corporations, and pose unknown risks to both the
environment and human health.
In general, the aim of the academy’s weeklong event seemed less to conduct
an objective appraisal of GMOs than to mobilize public support, aiming to
overcome what participants see as burdensome regulations and negative public
images that sometimes stand in the way of the wider adoption of GMOs,
especially in Europe and in parts of the developing world, above all Africa.
Participants told NCR that after the final conclusions from this study week
are published, plans call for three other documents:
A set of short versions of the papers delivered at the study week, possibly
including PowerPoint versions of the talks;
A book-length collection of expanded versions of the papers, which could be
published by winter 2010;
A “white paper” laying out the major conclusions and recommendations of the
study week, intended for broad public distribution.
“In light of eight years of experience with growing transgenic crops, many
additional field trials, and many additional published research reports, the
conference concluded that the scientific evidence is overwhelming that
transgenic crops … improve the lives of the poor and offer additional
significant improvements in their lives in the years to come,” said Drew
Kershen of the University of Oklahoma, a professor of agricultural law at
the University of Oklahoma and a study week participant.
The Academy for Sciences event drew fire from Catholic opponents of GMOs.
Irish missionary and environmental writer Fr. Sean McDonagh, who organized a
small demonstration in Rome on May 18 to protest the event, charged that its
purpose was “to use the prestige of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, its
good name, to beat governments so that you can reduce the minimal regulation
that we have.”
The demonstration near Rome’s Piazza del Popolo featured a banner reading,
“Pontifical Academy of Sciences, do not ally with those who, promoting GMOs,
contribute to hunger in the world.”
McDonagh objected that no Catholic critic of GMOs was invited.
“Who are the church’s real experts in this area?” McDonagh said. “[They’re
from] aid and development agencies, such as Misereor, Cafod and Caritas.
[The academy] thought so little of the expertise in the Catholic church that
they didn’t invite a single person from any one of those agencies. … What
are they afraid of?”
It’s a point that study week participants largely conceded.
“We didn’t invite a bunch of naysayers to the table, who are convinced that
GMOs don’t work or who are going to make fallacious scientific arguments
that have been rejected by the bulk of the scientific community and by the
regulators who approved them,” said Bruce Chassy, a food safety expert at
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
“This is not a ‘balanced’ meeting, in the sense that you bring every point
of view to the table and seek some kind of idiotic consensus,” Chassy said.
Though the position of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences seems clear, the
broader Catholic debate over GMOs appears as yet unresolved.
Two months ago, the working paper for next October’s Synod of Bishops for
Africa appeared, containing critical language on GMOs. That document
asserted that they risk “ruining small landholders, abolishing traditional
methods of seeding, and making farmers dependent on production companies.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*DISCLAIMER*: Articles that are posted in this news service do not
necessarily reflect the views of SEARCA.
To post in e-group, e-mail bic at searcaweb.org.
To UNSUBSCRIBE, click
here<http://searcaweb.org/mailman/options/bic_searcaweb.org>
.
[image: Subscribe A Friend] [image: Subscribe A
Friend]<http://searcaweb.org/mailman/listinfo/bic_searcaweb.org>
<http://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/subscribe/default.asp>
*SEARCA inks partnership with
Powerbooks*<http://www.searca.org/web/news/2009/may/web/20.html>
*Bio- and Cultural Controls for a Pest-free
Coconut*<http://www.searca.org/web/news/2009/may/web/19.html>
*---------------------------------------------------------*
*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>
*---------------------------------------------------------*
*JOB VACANCY @ SEARCA
Special Projects Coordinator (Network and Linkages)
Deadline of applications: 15 June 2009
View details here.*<http://bic.searca.org/jobs/2009/searca_specialprojectcoordinator.pdf>
*SEARCA ADSS: Tropical Maize in Asia: Production Systems, Constraints and
Research Priorities*
*Speaker: Ms. Roberta V. Gerpacio, Project Development Specialist, SEARCA
SAS Room, SEARCA, College, Laguna, PHILIPPINES
09 June 2009 (Tuesday), 4:00 - 5:00 PM*
*2nd Annual Biofuels
Summit*<http://www.bic.searca.org/events/index2009.html#may>
*Marina Mandarin, SINGAPORE
25 - 27 May 2009*
*International Symposium on Second Green Revolution: Priorities, Programmes,
Social and Ethical Issues (BIOSPECTRUM
2009)*<http://www.bic.searca.org/events/index2009.html#july>
*Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, INDIA
02 - 04 July 2009*
*Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference
(ABIC 2009)* <http://www.bic.searca.org/events/index2009.html#abic2009>
*Bangkok, Thailand
22 - 25 September 2009*
*-------------------------------------------------------------*
*CALL FOR APPLICATION
Department of Agriculture, Philippines: Biotechnology Research Fellowship
Program
8 Slots Available for Senior Scientist Research Grant and Research
Fellowship Grant
View details here.* <http://www.bic.searca.org/docs/DAfellobrochure.pdf>
*-------------------------------------------------------------*
*JOB VACANCY @ ASIA & PACIFIC SEED ASSOCIATION
APSA Executive Director
Deadline of applications: 15 June 2009
View details here.*<http://www.bic.searca.org/jobs/2009/apsa_executivedirector.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://searcaweb.org/pipermail/bic_searcaweb.org/attachments/20090607/5c4a1031/attachment-0001.html>
More information about the bic
mailing list