Business Potential for Agricultural Biotechnology - Asian Productivity ...

Business Potential for Agricultural Biotechnology Products
progress over the past decade in terms of support for R&D, human resource generation, and infrastructure
development. Key recommendations include human resource development, infrastructure
development and manufacture, promotion of industry and trade, public investment for
commercialization, establishment of biotechnology parks and incubators, a regulatory mechanism
for monitoring, and public communication and participation. The biotechnology sector in
India has approximately 200 industries that have grown rapidly. Current estimates indicate that
the industry grew by 39% annually to reach a value of USD705 million in 2003–04. Total investment
also increased by 26% in that time period, to reach USD137 million. Exports presently
account for 56% of revenue. The biopharma sector occupies the largest market share, 76%,
followed by bioagri 8.42%, bioservices 7.70%, industrial products 5.50%, and bioinformatics
2.45%. The bioservice sector registered the highest growth—100%—in 2003–04, with bioagri at
63.64% and biopharma at 38.55%. The current policy review envisages an annual turnover of
USD5 billion by 2010.
A task force headed by Dr. M.S. Swaminthan under the Ministry of Agriculture (2004) has
prepared a detailed framework on the application of biotechnology in agriculture that rightly
emphasizes the judicious use of biotechnologies for the economic well-being of farm families,
the food security of the nation, the health security of the consumer, protection of the environment,
and the security of national and international trade in farm commodities. It is proposed to
do away with large-scale field testing of released transgenic events and make it compliant with
agronomic test requirements.
Agricultural Biotechnology Development in Indonesia
In 1985, the Indonesian government declared biotechnology a priority area for national development.
Agricultural biotechnology is considered to have the most potential for investment,
but some industries are reluctant to invest in it because of the economic crisis in Indonesia.
Some applications of biotechnology in the agribusiness sector with great potential are:
• Cell breeding and plant tissue culture involving the development of new clones, diseasefree
plants, and hybrid plants using embryo breeding and cell fusion. The potential plants
for investment are for food (hybrid corn, rice, soybean, and potato), plantation (oil palm,
cacao, coffee, pepper, rubber, golden teak wood, etc.), horticulture (mango, banana,
durian, leafy vegetables, cut flowers, etc.), and forestry, especially plant species used for
pulp and paper production.
• Embryo transfer techniques and super-ovulation, embryo fusion (twinning), and low-temperature
preservation for animal husbandry. The animals selected are cattle, sheep, buffalos,
and pigs.
• Diagnostic techniques, using monoclonal antibodies, for early detection of plant and
animal diseases caused by virus, bacteria, or fungi that are difficult to detect by
conventional methods. Areas of potential importance are in the aquaculture (shrimp,
tilapia, carp, seabass, ornamental fish, etc.), poultry, and cattle and sheep businesses.
• Vaccine production for the livestock and aquaculture businesses.
• Development of bio-industries for the production of food (organic acids, conventional
foods, liquid sugars, fermented foods, etc.), feed (poultry and livestock), and enzymes
(papain, bromeline, and microbial enzymes from agro-industrial waste materials).
• Development of biotechnology for degrading biological waste or byproducts, such as
composting, ensilage, etc.
One of Indonesia’s potential biotechnological domestic resources is microbial. Research in
this area relates primarily to the application of the best selected native microbial isolates to
facilitate better growth performance of plants and/or animals. In food crops, the use of vesiculararvuscular
mycorrhizae, rhyzobium, bradyrhyzobium, and azospirillum has been proven beneficial
in promoting nutrient efficiency and yield of rainfed rice, soybean, and peanut on acid soils.
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