[searcabic] Latest news postings on biotechnology, 18 May 2009

[SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center]

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*Posted 18 May 2009*

*PHILIPPINES*
1-GMO SAFE FOR HUMANS AND ENVIRONMENT
2-FILIPINO SCIENTISTS HOPE TO DEVELOP VIRUS-RESISTANT SWEET POTATO
3-VISAYAN MEDIA ENLIGHTEN ON BIOTECHNOLOGY
4-BIOPROSPECTING

*TAIWAN*
5-CABINET HOPES TO DEVELOP SOPHISTICATED AGRICULTURE

*INDIA*
6-BT BRINJAL SAFE, PROFITABLE FOR FARMERS: MAHYCO

*AFRICA*
7-THE BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY HOLDS HUGE POTENTIAL FOR ECONOMY

*GLOBAL*
8-GROWERS IN U.S., CANADA, AUSTRALIA BACK GMO WHEAT
     *1-GMO SAFE FOR HUMANS AND ENVIRONMENT*
by Felipe V. Celino
18-May-2009 Panay News <http://www.panaynewsphilippines.com/capiz%201.htm>

ROXAS City - A respected scientist assured the public that genetically
modified organisms (GMO) products are safe for human consumption and the
environment.

During the media conference held at Sabin Resort Hotel in Ormoc City on May
12, Dr. Emiliana Bernardo, chairman of the Insect Resistance Management
Advisory Team of the Department of Agriculture, cited the controversial
“Bacillus thuringiensis” (Bt) corn took as an example.

She said the hullabaloo over the GMO comes from the use of the word “toxin”
when it actually should have been “protoxin”.

The modified corn simply has a gene that controls the infestation of Asian
Corn Borer, which does not even affect other organisms, Bernardo said.

“It does not even harm the borer’s relatives, so how much more the humans?
We’re not related to them,” she added.

Dr. Randy Hautea of International Service for the Acquisition of
Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) said GMO biotech is the most rapidly
adapted technology in agriculture.

“Twenty five countries are already planting GMOs and another 30 are
importing or directly consuming GMO,” he said.

Hautea explained that importing food from other provinces which are not GMO
would likely be impossible.

“All food and animal feeds now available in the country somehow use GMO,” he
added.

If Negros Occidental will not accept GMO products, he said, many chickens,
pigs, and most especially humans will be starved.

Rosalie Ellasus, a former overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who became a
farmer, said she decided to quit from her work abroad because her income
could not support family.

Ellasus now is one of the most successful biotech farmers in the country
using hybrid corn seeds in San Jacinto, Pangasinan.

As the first recipient of Kleckner Trade and Technology Advancement Award,
she has been receiving numerous invitations from other countries to share
her experience on agriculture.

Other speakers during the media forum were Julieta Roa, Philrootscrops
director; Rhodora Aldemita, ISAAA senior program officer; Dr. Angelina
Garces, senior research specialist of the Philippine Council for
Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and
Development(PCARRD); Manuel Palomar, Visayas State University vice
president; Julieta Fe Estacio, secretariat of the National Committee on
Biosafety of the Philippines (NCBP); Dr. Emiliana Bernardo; and Philippine
Star columnist Rudy Fernandez.

The participants were members of the tri-media from Visayas, researchers,
and public information officers from different government line agencies./PN

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*2-FILIPINO SCIENTISTS HOPE TO DEVELOP VIRUS-RESISTANT SWEET POTATO *
15-May-2009 SEARCA BIC News Release

The Philippines hopes to have a genetically modified sweet potato in the
next five years. Scientists from the Visayas State University (VSU) and the
University of the Philippines Los Baños Institute of Plant Breeding
(UPLB-IPB) are now working on the development of virus resistant sweet
potato (VRSP) through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation.

Sweet potato is a popular cash crop abundantly planted to more than 120,500
hectares in the Philippines. Of fifteen known sweet potato viruses
worldwide, eight of these can be found in the country. The most widely
spread and important among these, is the sweet potato feathery mottle virus
(SPFMV) which is associated with leaf curl, a disease known as “Kamote
Kulot” in Luzon. “The virus disease complex has been reported to reduce
yield of sweetpotato by 40-60% in Leyte and 85-98% in Albay”, says Dr.
Manuel Palomar, VRSP project leader of VSU. According to Dr. Palomar, VRSP
sweet potato can be developed through the transfer of coat protein gene of
the SPFMV into local varieties of sweet potato through a phenomenon called
“cross-protection”.

“Currently, we already have our gene of construct for the VRSP, and it is
being validated. The transformation and tissue culture components are under
optimization and hopefully, we expect to have the field trials of VRSP by
2011,” shares Ms. Lolita Dolores, a virologist and project leader from
UPLB-IPB, during the Training-Workshop on Risk Assessment and Social
Marketing of Public-Sector Biotech Product held at Sabin Resort Hotel, Ormoc
City, Leyte on 13-14 May 2009. The workshop was organized by the
International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications, the
Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in
Agriculture through Biotechnology Information Center (SEARCA-BIC),
Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Agriculture,
Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCARRD),
Program for Biosafety Systems Southeast Asia (PBS SEAsia) , and the VSU as
part of the capacity building initiatives for the scientists and regulators
in the region.

The VRSP project is being supported by the DOST-PCARRD and ISAAA Southeast
Asia.

For additional information regarding the VRSP project initiatives in the
Philippines, email lmd121552 at yahoo.com or bic at agri.searca.org or visit
www.searca.bic.org. *(Rochella B. Lapitan, SEARCA BIC)*

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*3-VISAYAN MEDIA ENLIGHTEN ON BIOTECHNOLOGY*
15-May-2009 SEARCA BIC News Release

“Biotech scare no more”, say print and radio media practitioners from
Visayas during the Media Workshop on Creating Public Awareness, Knowledge
and Understanding of Biotech Crops, held at Sabin Resort Hotel, Ormoc City,
on 12 May 2009.

The media workshop tackled basic concepts of agricultural biotechnology,
global status of biotechnology, biotechnology safety risk assessments, and
biotechnology R&D activities and adoption in the country.

During the workshop, Dr. Jose Bacusmo, president of the Visayas State
University (VSU), stressed “the need to forge partnership with the media as
it is vital to communicate biotechnology to the public, especially to the
Visayas region, which is presently in the hype of scare issues on
biotechnology.” On the other hand, Dr. Juliet Roa, a VSU social scientist
and director of the Philippine Rootcrops Research and Development Institute,
said, “Media must have a thorough learning of biotechnology, a cutting-edge
technology that our country must not fall again. By marrying the functions
of scientists and media, misconceptions and unresolved issues on
biotechnology will be scientifically answered.”

The media workshop was organized through collaboration among the
International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications
(ISAAA), the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research
in Agriculture through Biotechnology Information Center (SEARCA BIC),
Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research
and Development (PCARRD), Program for Biosafety Systems Southeast Asia (PBS
SEasia), and the Visayas State University.

For more information, email bic at agri.searca.org or visit
www.searca.bic.org<http://www.bic.searca.org/>.
*(Rochella B. Lapitan, SEARCA BIC)*

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*4-BIOPROSPECTING*
Nature for Life Column by Anabelle E. Plantilla
09-May-2009 Manila
Times<http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/may/09/yehey/opinion/20090509opi7.html>

We depend significantly on plants and animals for survival. We use them for
food, for medicine and even for cosmetics. Thus, the exploration for new
biological resources has increased in the last several years. With this
development, biodiversity-rich countries like ours have developed regulatory
and policy measures to ensure the protection of the resource and the
traditional knowledge about the use of the resource as well as recognition
of ownership of the resource.

Biological prospecting or bioprospecting is defined as the exploration and
collection of plants and animals (dead or living specimens) and the
extraction of their biochemical compounds as potential sources of medicines
and other products for future commercial purposes. When properly managed and
regulated, bioprospecting can contribute to biodiversity conservation and
generate income for the local communities who serve as stewards of these
resources (Sinha 2005). The urgency of a policy regulating bioprospecting is
reflected in the growing trend among developed countries with economic and
technological means to exploit natural resources for chemical substances and
genetic resources useful in industry, agriculture or medicine (Reid 1994).

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), an international treaty which
the Philippines has ratified, addresses the unregulated practice of
commercial exploitation for biological materials by biodiversity-rich
countries as well as using indigenous knowledge in harvesting and utilizing
these resources. The Convention also focuses on the equitable sharing of
benefits between biodiversity-givers (usually developing countries) and
biotechnology-users (usually developed countries), the latter having the
technological and financial capabilities to transform biological resources
into commercially profitable products.

Countries with regulatory policies on bioprospecting have a better chance to
negotiate for resource ownership and benefit sharing. It is said that the
patent for the ylang-ylang oil is with a French perfume maker, thus, we
cannot manufacture this commercially and benefit economically. Therefore, it
is preferable that we become biotechnolo¬gically self-reliant by
strengthening our biotechnological base and improving the implementation of
property rights and patenting systems.

In 1995, Executive Order 247 on the development of guidelines and regulatory
framework for bioprospecting began to be enforced. The Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is the government agency mandated
to execute its implementing rules and regulations. Although the Philippines
is the first country in Southeast Asia to pass a policy on bio¬prospecting
(La Vina et al. 1997), the DENR encountered problems in its implementation
due to insufficient funding and unclear operating mechanism. The policy was
also criticized for causing unnecessary bureaucratic delay in the issuance
of collection permits even for legitimate, non-commercial research studies
and on-going conservation projects. Thus, in April 2005, a new set of
bioprospecting guidelines was issued to clarify and improve EO 247’s
implementing procedures, including a provision exempting legitimate
researches with “no commercial interests” from the stringent permit
requirements.

There is also the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food
and Agriculture (PGRFA) that came into force in June 2004 and is closely
linked to the CBD with respect to the conservation of genetic resources and
the “fair and equitable” sharing of commercial benefits arising from the use
of these resources. Under this treaty, the negotiated list of the most
important agricultural plants (35 food crops and 29 forage species) can be
accessed through multilateral agreement, allowing farmers and researchers
worldwide access to genetic resources and information. It stipulates that no
genetic resources or information may be patented or used for chemical,
pharmaceutical and any other non-food/feed industrial uses. It emphasizes
access of a country to plant genetic resources deposited in a public
institution in any other country. For example, access to seeds of rice
varieties is free of charge and not subject to individual bilateral
negotiation. To ensure the success of this treaty, the provisions regarding
the sharing of commercial and other benefits from the use of these genetic
resources should be fair and transparent. There is a need to clarify the
provisions of the material transfer agreement between countries. This issue
is controversial especially in the rich-poor flow of resources, as rich
countries have the biotechnology to breed the species while the poor
countries are the origin of the majority of the most agriculturally
important genetic resources in the world (FAO 2005a).

*orgsus at haribon.org.ph*

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*TAIWAN*
*5-CABINET HOPES TO DEVELOP SOPHISTICATED AGRICULTURE*
by Shih Hsiu-chuan (Staff Reporter)
08-May-2009 Taipei
Times<http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2009/05/08/2003443075>

The Cabinet yesterday passed a proposal to promote sophisticated
agriculture, with the goal of doubling the niche market’s output value to
NT$158.9 billion (US$4.79 billion) and creating 31,000 jobs within four
years.
The proposal suggests promoting “health agriculture,” with a view to boost
the percentage of toxin and pesticide-free farming land from 3 percent of
total arable land to 6 percent.

The second part of the proposal would promote Taiwan’s agricultural
biotechnology on the global market. The COA said it expected the global
market’s value to grow from US$37.4 billion in 2007 to US$63 billion in
2013.

Council of Agriculture (COA) Deputy Minister Hu Sing-hwa (???) said Taiwan
was already a global leader in the field.

Hu said the proposal reflected a shift in agricultural policy from focusing
on production to promoting a high-standard of living.

“Farmers were the only focus of policies for high-quality agriculture under
former administrations, but our proposal aims to benefit everyone,” Hu said.

The government would earmark NT$6.833 billion over a four-year period to
establish Taiwan as a global logistics center for the orchid market, expand
the overseas market for grouper fish, set up centers for incubation of
livestock, aquaculture and agriculture, and create six enclosed farms for
genetically modified crops.

The proposal also involves incorporating recreational activities into the
sector, with a goal of attracting 30 million visits per year to rural
villages by 2012.

Hu said the proposal included NT$15.908 billion to create three
lowland-forest recreation areas covering more than 1,000 hectares each, to
renovate more than 4,000 villages and to build two yacht harbors, two
recreational fishing ports and four recreational agriculture areas.

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*INDIA*
*6-BT BRINJAL SAFE, PROFITABLE FOR FARMERS: MAHYCO*
09-May-2009 The
Hindu<http://www.thehindu.com/2009/05/09/stories/2009050953580400.htm>

BANGALORE: The genetically engineered variety of brinjal, commonly called Bt
brinjal, is not only safe for human consumption but will also prove to be
more profitable for farmers, who earn can earn an additional Rs. 16,000 to
Rs. 19,000 from every acre, Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company Ltd. (Mahyco)
has claimed.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, M.K. Sharma, Managing Director
of Mahyco, which has developed the Bt brinjal, said recent field trials
indicated that Bt brinjal required substantially less insecticide and
yielded a significantly higher quantity of marketable fruit than
conventional hybrids.

With brinjal cultivated across approximately 5.5 lakh hectares in India, the
net potential benefit for the country from Bt brinjal would exceed Rs. 2,000
crore, he said.

Dr. Sharma’s assertions come close on the heels of the submission of a
report to the Union Government’s Genetic Engineering Approval Committee
(GEAC) on multi-location field trials carried out under the supervision of
the Indian Institute of Vegetable Research. “A report on the field trials
was submitted in the last week of April, and we are awaiting permission for
commercial release of Bt brinjal,” he said.

*Optimistic*
He was optimistic that the country’s farmers would prefer the Bt variety of
brinjal over the conventional varieties that are prone to fruit and shoot
borer disease, which forced farmers to repeatedly spray pesticides and
insecticides. Studies had shown that Bt brinjal required 70 per cent less
insecticide for fruit and shoot borer disease and resulted in a 116 per cent
increase in marketable yield of the vegetable, he said.

“We are sure that farmers will understand the benefits of Bt brinjal and
grow the vegetable. Our only challenge is to convince the section of people
who are misguiding the general public about genetically modified food
crops,” he said.

Dr. Sharma recalled a similar campaign against Bt cotton a couple of years
ago. “But about 80 per cent of cotton farmers are now using Bt cotton and
reaping the benefits. Even if we wish to withdraw Bt cotton now, it is not
possible,” he said.

Dr. Sharma said India was on the threshold of a gene revolution. “First, we
had the Green Revolution, which was followed by a hybrid revolution in the
seventies and eighties. Now, we are on the threshold of a gene revolution,
which could provide an answer to the ills of India’s agricultural sector,”
he said.

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*AFRICA
7-THE BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY HOLDS HUGE POTENTIAL FOR ECONOMY
*by Hopewell Radebe
12-May-2009 Business Day via
Agbios<http://www.agbios.com/static/news/NEWSID_10690.php>

DAKAR - South Africa is one of few African states with rich and diverse
species of flora and fauna that could be used to stimulate economic growth
in the same scale witnessed by India’s biotechnology industry, according to
a Nigerian scholar Precious Dike.

Addressing delegates at the Knowledge Management Africa conference in Dakar,
Senegal, Dike said if African governments followed India’s example of
strategically investing into Biotechnology research facilities and
institutional networks, this would open enormous potential and enhance the
economic growth.

This was in the paper she presented on the contribution on the economy of
the India’s investment on the development of its biotechnology industry.
Dike from the Covenant University (CU) in Ogun State Nigeria – a fellowship
student from International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology,
New Delhi, India - said there were already lots of similarities that Africa
could build on, especially the unique and unexplored plant kingdom.

In the case of SA, she described it as already blessed with a large and
strong pool of qualified scientists and engineers within the country as well
as good network of research laboratories such as in India.

Biotechnology is the use of cellular and bio-molecular processes to solve
problems or make useful products. It involves the process of applying the
knowledge of biology to enhance the environment, health and food supply.

Dike described India as one of the primary players in the international
biotechnology field. Its biotechnology sector crossed the 2 billion USD mark
during 2006 – 2007 and is still growing, showing 20% growth in 2007-2008.

She said the government of India took an initiative in the early 1980s and
identified a niche in the education and training field. It established
scientific agencies and the National Biotechnology Board to support research
initiatives in modern biology.

It also built the infrastructure such as laboratories and institutions of
learning with specific mandates to carry out research and development in
life sciences as well as knowledge, innovation and technology parks.

India also roped in the experiences of top academic institutions around the
world to take advantage of the knowledge that is already in existence.

In the past two and a half decade the focus on this industry has created
more than 300 college level educational and training institutes across the
country offering degrees and diplomas in biotechnology, bioinformatics and
the biological sciences. This has led to a knowledge pool in biosciences and
engineering of over 3 million under graduates, 700 million post graduates
and 15 million PhDs.

To stimulate entrepreneurship and public investments into the production of
newly invented or discovered products, the Indian government started with
the removal of duty on raw materials imported in a bid to support and
motivate those with interest.

“There was a move to simplify and streamline procedures for import,
clearance of storage of biological material, land acquisition, obtaining
environmental and pollution control approvals within shorter time lines,”
she said.

She added that other forms of encouragements included funding for new
researches like combination of vaccines, stem cells, Bio-Diesel etc.

She said a country like SA would only require minor adjustments to get
started including the provision of loans to small and medium scale
companies; creation of healthy competition between provinces by funding the
most successful ones as well as the implementation of policies which attract
foreign investment.

She said many African states need to invest in setting up Biotechnology
centres to explore indigenous knowledge for local plants. They will also
need to establish policies and regulatory structures for bio-safety and
intellectual property protection.

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*GLOBAL
8-GROWERS IN U.S., CANADA, AUSTRALIA BACK GMO WHEAT
*by Carey Gillam
14-May-2009 Reuters<http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSN1450449920090514>

KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 14 (Reuters) - Farm groups from the world's top
wheat-exporting nations on Thursday said they had reached an agreement to
support a "synchronized" commercialization of biotech traits in wheat.

Though any market roll-out of a genetically altered wheat would be years
away, the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) said Thursday it had
signed up grain growers in Canada and Australia in a deal that would align
the nations against any international backlash if and when a biotech wheat
was introduced.

The united front also was intended as an invitation to biotech companies to
push forward with biotech wheat development.

"This is a big, long-term issue for producers," said NAWG CEO Daren Coppock.
"We agree it is in our best interest to work together. And we are trying to
send a strong signal to developers so they can move ahead."

The key food crop currently lacks any genetically altered seed options,
unlike corn and soybeans, which have been tinkered with by a variety of
biotech agricultural companies.

Biotech strains of corn and soybeans that resist pests and tolerate
herbicide field treatments now dominate the U.S. market and are growing in
share around the world.

Wheat farmers who have eyed advancements made in other crops say similar
genetically altered opportunities for wheat could help them increase yields
and become more profitable.

Tops on the wish list are drought-tolerant wheat and wheat that makes more
efficient use of nitrogen.

"Wheat is not keeping pace with corn and soy yield increases," said North
Dakota Grain Growers Association president Byron Richard. "We have to be
competitive with other commodities."

In addition to NAWG, the groups signing onto the agreement include U.S.
Wheat Associates, the North American Millers' Association, the Grain Growers
of Canada, the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association and the Alberta
Winter Wheat Producers Commission. Australian signatories include Grains
Council of Australia, Grain Growers Association and the Pastoralists and
Graziers Association of Western Australia.

It was five years ago this month that Monsanto Co (MON.N). shelved an
herbicide-tolerant "Roundup Ready" wheat that would have been the first
biotech wheat in the world.

The company was facing a storm of protest from U.S. wheat buyers, who
threatened to boycott all U.S. wheat if a biotech strain was rolled out.
Growers and export players feared a loss of customers and shied away from
backing the plan.

Discussions about genetically altering wheat remain sensitive in many parts
of the world, including major export markets in Europe and Asia. Biotech
crop critics argue genetically altering crops, particularly those used for
food, can have harmful ramifications on human and animal health and on the
environment.

Still, acceptance is growing, said wheat growers.

"There are a lot of benefits that come with biotech wheat -- higher
production, less reliance on pesticides, and better quality wheat," said
Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association president Kevin Bender.
"Acceptance is growing for it." *(Reporting by Carey Gillam; editing by Jim
Marshall)*

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*DISCLAIMER*: Articles that are posted in this news service do not
necessarily reflect the views of SEARCA.

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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>

*The Role of Communication towards Achieving Sufficiency Economy through
Huai Hong Khrai Royal Development Study Center Projects in Chiang Mai,
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*Speaker: Ms. Suphasiri Trirat
19 May 2009*

*20th FCSSP Scientific Conference* <http://www.bic.searca.org/>
*Siliman University, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, PHILIPPINES
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*2nd Annual Biofuels
Summit*<http://www.bic.searca.org/events/index2009.html#may>
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*International Symposium on Second Green Revolution: Priorities, Programmes,
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2009)*<http://www.bic.searca.org/events/index2009.html#july>
*Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, INDIA
02 - 04 July 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.

CALL FOR RESEARCH PROPOSALS

Enabling Bio-innovations for Poverty Alleviation for Asia: 2009 Small Grants
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(AIT)*<http://www.bic.searca.org/home_files/announcement/bioinnovationasia2009.pdf>

*2009 iBoP SMALL GRANTS COMPETITION

Open to Individual researchers and groups/institutions who are working on
marginalized based of pyramid (BoP) sector issues and/or the development of
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