Business Potential for Agricultural Biotechnology - Asian Productivity ...

10. BUSINESS POTENTIAL FOR AGRICULTURAL
BIOTECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS IN THE PHILIPPINES:
THE NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
SYSTEM EXPERIENCE
INTRODUCTION
– 143 –
Christie S. Clavero
Beatriz P. del Rosario
Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry
and Natural Resources Research
and Development (PCARRD)
Los Baños
Biotechnology is regarded as one of the most potent means for resource-rich, cash-poor
nations like the Philippines to become active players in the global market. It is considered a
sunrise industry. As a tool, it could revitalize ailing commodity industries such as coconut and
sugar cane through the development of “unique,” “green,” and “healthy” biotech products that
can be the result of both modern and conventional biotechnologies.
STATUS OF AGRI-BIOTECH PRODUCTS
Conventional Biotechnology
In the Philippines, most agri-biotech products that have reached the market result from conventional
biotechnologies, including biofertilizers, biopesticides, tissue cultured planting materials,
enzyme products, vaccines, and diagnostic and detection kits (Table 1). Most of these
products were developed by the University of the Philippines at Los Baños–National Institute of
Biotechnology and Molecular Biology (UPLB–BIOTECH), funded by the government. Commercialization
was done primarily by UPLB–BIOTECH, with limited private sector participation.
Table 1 shows selected commercialized biotechnology products perceived to have high
market potential that were presented during a recent business forum for R&D in biotechnology
(Jamias, 2004).
Table 1. Selected Commercialized Agri-biotechnology Products, Philippines
Category Name/
product
Purpose
Developed
by
Commercialized
by
Bioferti- BIO-N Uses Saccharum spontaneum L. to fix UPLB– UPLB–BIOlizer
atmospheric nitrogen in a form usable BIOTECH/ TECH/1990
by rice and corn plants
1989 TLRC
Demand is high;
more entrepreneurs
are needed
Bioreme- Bio-Quick Rapid composting using Trichoderma UPLB– UPLB–
diation
harzianum and use of compost as BIOTECH BIOTECH
fertilizer; hastens decomposition of
Already adopted
farm wastes from five to six months
by farmers and
to three to five weeks
cooperatives
nationwide
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