[searcabic] Latest news postings on biotechnology, 15 November 2009

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*Posted 15 November 2009*

*PHILIPPINES*
1-15 PILOT AREAS IN EASTERN VISAYAS SOON TO HARVEST FLOOD-RESISTANT RICE
2-UPLB CHANCELLOR BATS FOR BIOTECH CROPS IN MARGINAL LANDS
3-BIOTECH, NON-GM CROPS’ COEXISTENCE FOCUS OF MEET
4-P3.5-MILLION TISSUE-CULTURE LAB TO REVITALIZE ABACA INDUSTRY IN ARMM

*MALAYSIA*
5-MPOB AND ORION COMPLETE SEQUENCING OF THREE OIL PALM GENOMES

*AFRICA*
6-UGANDA: U.S.$21 MILLION SWEET POTATO PROJECT TO AID FOOD SECURITY,
NUTRITION

*GLOBAL*
7-TECHNOLOGY HOLDS ANSWER FOR ASIA'S FUTURE CHALLENGE
8-GROUND-BREAKING MOMENTS IN GLOBAL AGRICULTURE
     *1-15 PILOT AREAS IN EASTERN VISAYAS SOON TO HARVEST FLOOD-RESISTANT
RICE*
11-November-2009 Philippine Information
Agency<http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=12&r=&y=&mo=&fi=p091109.htm&no=99>

Tacloban City (November 9) -- Farmers in the 15 flood prone pilot areas in
Eastern Visayas will soon reap the first harvest in their first attempt to
plant submergence tolerant rice genotypes, Department of Agriculture Region
8 Executive Director Leo Caneda informed.

Director Caneda said that the Department of Agriculture has chosen 15
flood-prone rice farms in Region 8 for propagation and cultivation of 16
submergence tolerant rice genotypes.

The 16 submergence tolerant rice genotypes can withstand a two-week flood
unlike the usual varieties that are damaged after only three days of being
submerged in floodwaters, RED Caneda disclosed.

Of the 15 pilot areas, about 12 are farmer-managed. These include 6
farm-lands in Palo; 3 in Sta. Fe, 1 in Pastrana; 1 in Tacloban City; and 1
in Babatngon, all in the province of Leyte.

Three pilot areas are researcher-managed, RED Caneda added. These are in
Sacme, Tanauan, Leyte; 1 in Dolores, Eastern Samar and 1 in Northern Samar.

Last week, a Field Day was conducted at Barangay Sacme, Tanauan, Leyte which
was attended by representative from DA Region 8. The highlight of the Field
Day is the report of the farmer that stated which of the varieties well
thriving so far and what methods he used in propagating the varieties.

God-willing, the farmers in the pilot areas will have their first harvest of
submergence tolerant rice before the end of November or early December.

Based on the experiences of the pilot areas, the Department of Agriculture
will be able to determine which of the 16 genotypes is best for the Eastern
Visayas Region, Director Caneda said.

RED Caneda disclosed that 11 % of the Regions total farm lands or about
16,720 hectares of rice land in Eastern Visayas are vulnerable to flooding.

These vulnerable rice lands in the Region are being targeted for cultivation
of 16 submergence tolerant rice genotypes, the good Director added.

"Most of the farmers in these areas depend on rice farming for their
livelihood and majority of them do not have access to up-to-date
information,' he said.

Director Caneda stressed that by planting the new genotypes of rice will
reduce production cost and income losses of farmers due to frequent to
frequent devastating typhoons and flooding.

Director Cañeda disclosed that in June to November 2008, a study was
conducted by DA at Brgy. Cangumbang, Palo, Leyte and Brgy. Buntay, Oras,
Eastern Samar to find out which among of the 16 varieties are tallest,
matures early and highest yield.

Participatory varietal selection-researcher managed was conducted in
farmer's fields. Called as "mother trial,' the activity evaluates in detail
the adaptability of the different rice genotypes.

Three to four genotypes were found to be promising in the region are now
being tested by the farmer themselves in their respective fields, Director
Caneda said.

Eastern Visayas, along with Bicol and Caraga regions, has been identified by
the Department of Agriculture (DA) as area most prone to flashfloods.

The first submergence-tolerant rice variety in the Philippines was released
during the 27th Council Secretariat Meeting on July 7 this year.

The "Submarino 1' variety is a non-genetically engineered rice plant that
can survive, grow and develop even after 10 days under water, The variety
was infused with submergence tolerance gene (Sub1), which was discovered by
the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the University of
California-Davis from an Indian rice variety FR13A.

"We are talking here of a potential near zero harvest to a harvest of three
to four tons per hectare when farmers use this variety. This is a big
bonanza for farmers and for additional rice supply in the market," RED
Caneda said.

Farmers using this variety would spend less for fertilizer because farmlands
would have more nutrients because of the "banlik (silt)' brought by floods,
he said. (PIA 8)

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*2-UPLB CHANCELLOR BATS FOR BIOTECH CROPS IN MARGINAL LANDS*
by Marvyn N. Benaning
09-November-2009 Manila
Bulletin<http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/228784/uplb-chancellor-bats-biotech-crops-marginal-lands>


University of the Philippines-Los Baños (UPLB) Chancellor Luis Rey Velasco
says the country must use biotechnology to develop crops ready to confront
climate change as well as make marginal productive.

Velasco added that biotechnology is a boon to an agricultural country like
the Philippines and it must utilize its processes to guarantee food security
in the long run, reduce dependence on imported inputs and even develop a
fungus discovered by agricultural scientists that feeds on plastics.

"It has only been recently that the world has been faced with the
realization that plastics can become a real ecological hazard. With their
long half-life, waste plastics begin to be a problem. They clog up our
drainage systems. They pollute our environment with products almost
impervious to nature’s normal courses. They have become a bane to us," he
says.

He noted that Filipino scientists have been able to identify a fungus that
can degrade plastic back into its natural elements in far less time than we
all thought possible.

"Though far from fully developed, the idea is undergoing study – how to
propagate the fungus to be economically viable, how to find out what hazards
it may, in turn, produce, how to make it acceptable to the public, and
eventually how to make the fungus available to the public for use. In short,
we now turn to the process of commercialization," he said.

"Biotechnology can assure us of a certain control in quality and costs among
natural, living things. This is what biotechnology is really about. It is
the new economic revolution at its birth. Born in nature’s hands, but helped
by man and his science," he stressed.

For the moment, Velasco declared that the country should concentrate on
three areas in biotechnology.

First, it should develop microbial fertilizers. "With petrol-based
fertilizers on their way out, both in availability and costs, BioN and
MicroVAM should be further developed for widespread farm use to replace
expensive, and usually imported, fertilizers. These technologies are already
available. But we have to support them with a focus and a commitment," he
added.

Second, it should start breeding crops in response to global climate change.
"The fact of unpredictable environments is upon us. Some we brought about,
some purely natural and irrevocable. There are new plant diseases these
changes will bring about, there will be leaching of products we have imposed
on our environments. These are truths and these are facts. We have to be
ready to contend and address them. The seeds have been discovered. What we
need to do is propagate and disperse them. Drought-resistant breeds,
saline-resistant breeds, flood-resistant strains, we have them all today. If
we do not propagate their use, they will be wasted," he said.

Third and last, the country must breeding crops to make use of marginal
lands. "Even without climate change, we have not learned to use our marginal
lands. These are the lands that are not of the best quality, but can be made
productive just the same. Our many years in research show us that there is a
way to make them productive. We must find the crops that will make our
farmers live and prosper. And we must find the way to make these crops
available to our farmers in their most effective form," he noted.

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*3-BIOTECH, NON-GM CROPS’ COEXISTENCE FOCUS OF MEET*
by Marvyn Benaning
08-November-2009 Manila
Bulletin<http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/228535/biotech-nongm-crops-coexistence-focus-meet>

An international conference on the coexistence of genetically-and
non-genetically modified crops will be held in Melbourne, Australia on Nov.
10-12.

The Fourth International Conference on Coexistence between Genetically
Modified (GM) and non-GM based Agricultural Supply Chains will be held at
the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre with public and private
stakeholders from different parts of the world participating.

It is the only international forum that will focus on coexistence between GM
and non-GM agricultural supply chains, says the Department of Agriculture -
Biotechnology Program Office (DA-BPO).

DA-BPO director Alicia Ilaga said the conference will also dwell on the case
of the Philippines, which approved the commercial propagation of Bacillus
thuriegiensis (Bt) corn in 2005.

The Philippines stands to benefit from the valuable lessons that can be
learned from the exchanges of valuable information and possibly technology
transfer, to better apply GM technology in the Philippines.

Bt corn is primarily used for animal feed even as government regulators, as
well as the seed's producer, Monsanto, claim it is safe for human
consumption.

Prof. German Spangenberg, executive director of the Biosciences Research
Division, Department of Primary Industries, said the conference will cover
key issues on coexistence between GM and non-GM agricultural supply chains
ranging from production level to the market place.

The topics include gene flow in agricultural systems, strategies for
coexistence and organisational measures across the supply chain,
socio-economics of coexistence and cost/benefit analysis of coexistence
strategies, legal and policy issues of coexistence frameworks, and
traceability and control of coexistence.

This is the first time that such a GMCC event will be held outside of
Europe, Spangenberg, this year's GMCC'09 event chairman, said.

The conference will highlight the progress of the Australian approach to
coexistence between GM/non-GM canola, and attempt to address the planning of
coexistence measures in advance of other GM crop introductions.

The GMCC'09 conference will be highly relevant for industry, policy,
agricultural biotechnology R&D and agribusiness communities, he said.

Coverage of the conference includes farming systems in the developing world,
rather than focus on Europe and Americas.

Ilaga said the GMCC series is moving away from the primary attention on
maize and oilseed rape that has characterized the first three meetings.

The conference is expected to come up with a paper dealing with the
potential impact of GM technologies in the developing world with emphasis on
Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, as well as the strategies that
need to be in place to ensure that the benefits are captured by the local
producers and industries and that the market access is protected and market
returns preserved where local or international consumers discriminate
between GM and non-GM produce.

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*4-P3.5-MILLION TISSUE-CULTURE LAB TO REVITALIZE ABACA INDUSTRY IN ARMM*
08-November-2009 Manila
Times<http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/news/regions/5502-p35-million-tissue-culture-lab-to-revitalize-abaca-industry-in-armm>

The government is stepping up the revitalization of the abaca industry in
Mindanao, with the establishment of a P3.5 million tissue culture laboratory
in Marawi City.

The abaca tissue laboratory, which was inaugurated on October 15, is
expected to boost the production of disease-free and uniform seedlings for
the entire province of Lanao del Sur, said Director Alicia Ilaga, head of
the DA Biotechnology Program Office (BPO).

A project of Kawiagan sa Ranao Livelihood Training Center (KRLTC), the
tissue culture laboratory is the first to be put up in the entire Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

This development, Ilaga said, is significant because the establishment of
such facility in Marawi City, an Islamic City, more importantly opens the
door of ARMM for biotechnology—as an effective fighting tool against hunger
and poverty.

Classified as a middle level biotechnology, tissue culture has been proven
to increase yield in banana, and sugar production particularly in the
provinces of Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur.
Tissue culture is also responsible for the development of the orchid
industry in the Philippines.

Through tissue-culture, Ilaga said the government and its private-sector and
nongovernment organization partners will enable the rapid mass propagation
of “healthy” abaca planting materials, thus allowing farmers to expand areas
planted to the fiber-rich plant.

“More farmers will benefit from the wonders of biotechnology because tissue
culture will allow them to have more disease-free and uniform seedlings.
This means they wouldn’t have to go through the hassles of buying planting
materials that may or may not have the dreaded abaca diseases,” said.

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*MALAYSIA
5-MPOB AND ORION COMPLETE SEQUENCING OF THREE OIL PALM GENOMES
*09-November-2009 Malaysian National News Agency:
Bernama.com<http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsbusiness.php?id=453779>

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) and
Orion Genomics on Monday announced that a consortium co-led by the Advanced
Biotechnology and Breeding Centre has sequenced three oil palm genomes from
two palm species, an important food and biofuel crop.

This genome sequencing effort provides a comprehensive genetic blueprint of
E.oleifera and E.guineensis, including the pisifera and dura palms, they
said.

MPOB director-general Datuk Dr Mohd Basri Wahid said knowledge of the
genomic sequence of these oil palm varieties enabled researchers to
understand genetic differences between trees for more resistant to disease
than usual.

"Our goal in completing the oil palm genome sequence is to dramatically
improve oil yields both for the production of food, feed and fuel," he said
at the plenary session on "Sequencing the Oil Palm Genome: The Beginning" at
the International Palm Oil Congress 2009 here.

Oil palm plantations on average produce 3.9 tonnes of oil per hectare per
year, nearly 10 times more than other productive oil-bearing crops, Mohd
Basri said.

Therefore, it has the potential to meet growing demand for food and
renewable fuel, he said.

Used in cooking oil, margarine, baked goods and other foods, palm oil is the
most consumed edible oil in the world.

It feeds more than three billion people in 150 countries worldwide and is
also a common ingredient in soaps and cosmetics.

Last year, Malaysia produced 17.7 million tonnes of crude palm oil and
exported RM65.2 billion (US$17.6 billion) worth of palm oil products.

New technologies are now enabling palm oil to be transformed into biodiesel,
a promising renewable fuel.

MPOB and Orion Genomics, along with Mogene LC, also unveiled plans to study
the epigenetic make-up of oil palm next year in an effort to improve yields.

Epigenetics is the study of the pattern of chemical groups that influence
whether specific genes are turned on or off, said Orion Genomics' president
and chief executive officer Nathan Lakey.

"We theorise that by studying oil palm epigenetics, we may be able to help
to speed the development of varieties of oil palm that produce more oil,
rapidly increasing the per acre efficiency of this crop, which already is
the single largest producer of edible oils worldwide," he said.

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*AFRICA
6-UGANDA: U.S.$21 MILLION SWEET POTATO PROJECT TO AID FOOD SECURITY,
NUTRITION
*by Halima Abdallah
09-November-2009 All Africa <http://allafrica.com/stories/200911090833.html>

Nairobi — The International Sweet Potato Centre has launched a $21.25
million research project in Uganda that will develop nutritionally enhanced
sweet potatoes, in a project to reduce health problems related to vitamin A
deficiency and improve food security in sub-Saharan Africa.

Vitamin A is necessary for good eyesight, healthy skin and for building the
immune system.

The centre works in developing countries to help reduce poverty and increase
food security through scientific research related to sweet potatoes and
other root crops.

The five-year research project, named Sweet Potato Action for Security and
Health in Africa is one of nine such projects benefiting from the $120
million Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation investment to support smallscale
farmers in Africa and India.

This grant brings to $1.4 billion the amount of money the foundation has
committed to agricultural efforts in the world to date.

In addition to nutritional enhancement, the research will employ both
conventional methods and biotechnology to create at least 20 locally adapted
sweet potatoes varieties resistance to drought, virus and diseases.

Biotechnology will be used to develop weevil resistant varieties.

An earlier study proved that the orange-fleshed sweet potato already in the
market can drastically bring down impacts of vitamin A-deficiency that
threaten an estimated 43 million children under the age of five in sub-
Saharan Africa.

"We have already proven this in South Africa and in western Kenya but we
want to see it in action and that is what this project is set out to do,"
said Dr Robert Mwanga, an expert on the crop.

Sweet potato is the third most important food crop in production in seven
East and Central African countries, with Uganda leading at 2.5 million
tonnes annual production.

It is an easy crop to grow as it requires less labour and can grow in
marginal land and can withstand dry conditions.

Yet the potential of the crop has remained largely untapped.

The project is designed to improve food security and livelihoods of poor
families by exploiting the untapped potential of the sweet potato, which
includes its use in confectionery and animal feed.

*------------------------------------------------------------*
*GLOBAL
7-TECHNOLOGY HOLDS ANSWER FOR ASIA'S FUTURE CHALLENGE
*by Reaz Ahmad
11-November-2009 The Daily
Star<http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=113568&sms_ss=email>

India importing rice for the first time in over two decades this year,
Thailand and other rice producing and exporting countries in Asia are
rethinking food security, as experts say further output growth has to come
from technology rather than lands that have already become sparse.

Given the scenario where the world's third largest rice exporting country
India has gone to the international market for importing the staple to
offset an expected production shortfall owing to the driest monsoon in four
decades, Thailand last month announced an ambitious 50 billion US dollars
stimulus package 'Strong Thailand', setting aside almost a quarter of the
amount for boosting its agriculture by 2012.

Top agriculture officials of Thailand, the world's number one rice exporting
country, revealed the country's plan for securing food not only for the
kingdom but also for other countries of the world, to a gathering of
journalists from different countries of the Asia-Pacific region in Bangkok
over the weekend.

The media workshop was organised by Syngenta, a multinational also a world
leader in the business of crop protection. The event was also attended by
agricultural experts, industry leaders, host country officials, and
representatives from the Philippines based International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI).

Apichart Jongsakul, secretary general of the Office of Agricultural
Economics under the Thai Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, told the
workshop that his government will pump in a huge amount of money over the
next three years through the 'Strong Thailand' stimulus package to turn the
kingdom into the 'Kitchen of the World'.

Thailand has been the world's top rice exporting country since 1970 with its
export volume hitting 10 million metric tons (MT) last year, accounting for
over 33 percent of the year's total 29.6 million MT global rice trade.

Referring to the moratorium that Thailand had slapped on large scale field
trials of genetically modified rice, Apichart said biotechnology holds the
key to the future growth potentials for crops including rice, and his
country is now allowing breeders to experiment on biotech-derived crops
under controlled greenhouse environment.

Identifying diversion of crops for fuel production as one of the key factors
behind food prices hitting all time high in 2008, Apichart informed the
audience about the Thai government's policy of not expanding the acreage of
cassava and sugarcane for fuel generation purposes, while increasing only
the acreage of oil palm for it, using only otherwise fallow lands.

A presentation made by Thai Rice Department's Deputy Director General
Chairit Damrongkiat showed, India was the third largest exporter of rice
last year behind Thailand and Vietnam, and exported 11.2 percent of the rice
traded globally. Of the total global rice output of 445.6 million MT in
2008, India produced 99.1 million MT, second only to China that produced
134.3 million MT.

But within a year, India is now depending on other rice growing Asian
countries to offset its shortfall resulted from a delayed monsoon, a problem
that Bangladesh also suffered this year. But thanks to the timely policy
decision of providing farmers with free power to pump water to the aman
fields, which saved Bangladesh from any substantial crop loss.

The workshop took note of the Bangladesh situation, as the country is well
poised with over a million metric ton of rice in stock. But participants
pointed out, with an increasing population and dwindling land resources,
maintaining food security in Bangladesh as well as in other parts of
Asia-Pacific is very crucial.

IRRI Media Relations Manager Sophie Clayton told the workshop, if rice
producing countries want to keep pace with the rising number of rice
consumers, the global rice output has to grow by 8 to 10 million MT per
year.

Noting that the world population is increasing by an astounding rate of
2,20,000 a day, Martin Gibson, stewardship director of CropLife Asia, showed
data elucidating how per capita share of arable land is shrinking.

Gibson said the world population was three billion in 1960 with each person
having a share of 4.3 hectares of arable land, but as the population doubled
by 2000 the per capita arable land share nosedived to 2.2 hectares, and by
the most conservative projection it is likely to drop further to settle at
only 1.8 hectares per person in 2020 when 7.5 billion people will inhabit
the earth. CropLife Asia is the Asian chapter of CropLife International, the
global federation of plant science industries operating in 90 countries.

Syngenta's head of seed business for the Asia-Pacific region, Peter
Pickering, and its country chief in Thailand, Parveen Kathuria, joined
Gibson in the argument that the next big leap in rice output has to come
from technology rather than from land resources. They laid emphasis on safe
applications of agricultural biotechnology to ensure food security for an
ever increasing global population.

Andrew Guthrie, who looks after Syngenta's crop protection business in the
Asia-Pacific region, talked to The Daily Star sharing some of his thoughts.
Guthrie said the technology is available, but farmers' must be able to
access it. He gave a recent example of how simple technologies help farmers
enormously.

"In Bangladesh we supplied farmers with 'pani pipes', a plastic pipe with
holes, that they tuck half into paddy fields. This eventually helps them
understand water needs of the crop at various stages, for example:
plantation, vegetation, and flowering, helping to cut irrigation cost," he
said.

*------------------------------------------------------------
8-GROUND-BREAKING MOMENTS IN GLOBAL AGRICULTURE
*10-November-2009 Reuters
India<http://in.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idINIndia-43838220091110>

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Organized cultivation of food crops like wheat and
barley began about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, what
is now the Middle East.

Great strides in agriculture have been made since through innovation,
technology and genetics to help feed the world's growing population. Despite
this, however, more than 1 billion people went hungry in 2009, 100 million
more than last year.

The increase is not a result of poor harvests, but due to high food prices,
particularly in development nations, and lower incomes and lost jobs due to
the economic downturn.

Here are some landmark moments in world agriculture:

* 1701 - Briton Jethro Tull invented the seed drill, an improved plough that
was drawn by a horse.

* 1798 - Thomas Malthus predicts impending famine as population growth
outstrips food production.

* 1831 - American Cyrus McCormick introduced his mechanical reaper, which
was mass produced by 1847 in a Chicago factory.

* 1863 - The U.S. Agriculture Department, which forecasts crop production
for major countries across the globe, publishes its first monthly crop
report.

* 1866 - Austrian Gregor Mendel laid the foundation of modern genetics by
showing traits pass from parents to offspring.

* 1873 - American John Deere designed the first cast steel plough.

* 1881 - First generation of hybrid corn to increase production created.

* 1892 - First successful gasoline engine farm tractor built by American
inventor John Froelich.

* 1923 - Commercial hybrid seed corn developed by Henry Wallace, who in 1926
founded the Hi-Bred Corn Co (now Pioneer Hi-Bred International).

* 1934 - Worst drought in U.S. history swept through the Great Plains and
covered more than 75 percent of the country.

* 1944 - Normal Borlaug, father of the Green Revolution to increase food
production, joins Rockefeller Foundation.

* 1945 - Beginning of the Green Revolution to increase food production
through new cultivars, irrigation, fertilizer, pesticides and mechanization.

* 1956 - Mexico becomes self-sufficient in wheat as a result of the Green
Revolution.

* 1960 - Philippines government, Ford and Rockefeller foundations establish
the International Rice Research Institute in Manila.

* 1968 - William Gaud, director of the U.S. Agency for International
Development, coins the term Green Revolution. "These and other developments
in the field of agriculture contain the makings of a new revolution. It is
not a violent Red Revolution like that of the Soviets, nor is it a White
Revolution like that of the Shah of Iran. I call it the Green Revolution."

* 1970 - Borlaug is awarded Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to world
peace through increasing food supply.
(Reporting by K.T. Arasu; Editing by Walter Bagley)

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*Brunei hosts annual board meeting of SEAsian center for agriculture
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*Scientist achieves breakthrough on mango tissue culture
*<http://www.searca.org/web/news/2009/oct/web/13.html>

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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>
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*AgriBiotech and Crop Protection Markets* <http://www.bic.searca.org/>
*Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
16 - 17 November 2009*

*6th International Rice Genetics Symposium* <http://www.bic.searca.org/>
*Manila, Philippines
16 - 17 November 2009*

*Philippines' National Biotechnology Week* <http://www.bic.searca.org/>
*Manila, Philippines
24 - 29 November 2009*

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