Business Potential for Agricultural Biotechnology - Asian Productivity ...

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Summary of Findings
Singapore contains no restriction to the patentability of plants and animals or other
biotechnological inventions such as DNA or living tissues as long as the bio-intervention does
not contradict public morality. Even though it is in compliance with international treaties, the
current Singapore IP regime was further strengthened when Singapore acceded in 2004 to the
UPOV convention (for the protection of new plant varieties) under the requirements of the U.S.-
Singapore Free Trade Agreement. This IP regime will give agri-biotechnological interventions
exclusive protection in Singapore should they be developed and patented there.
Singapore established the national Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC) in
1999 to oversee and advise in this matter. The key initiatives of GMAC lie in establishing biosafety
regulations and guidelines for the conduct of GMO research and the commercial release
of GMO-derived products and in facilitating public education and creating awareness on GM
issues. Two guidelines, one covering release of GMOs (Singapore Guidelines on the Release of
Agriculture-Related GMOs, August 1999) and the other covering research on GMOs (Singapore
Biosafety Guidelines for Research on GMOs), have been released. As an advisory committee,
GMAC leverages on the regulatory powers of various national agencies, including AVA, MOH,
and the National Environment Agency (NEA), to oversee safe movement, transfer, and containment
of GMOs, relevant, respectively, to food/feed, human health, and environment. The AVA
is the approving authority for the import and release of agriculture-related GMOs and GM foods
in Singapore. Under AVA’s Animals and Birds Act and Control of Plant Act, importers are required
to seek approval from AVA before importing agriculture-related GMOs into Singapore.
GMAC will evaluate the applications to import or release GMOs through expert panels to ensure
that food safety and environmental issues have been assessed and found to be satisfactory. AVA
will take into consideration GMAC’s evaluation before permitting the import or release of the
GMOs. Thus far, GMAC and AVA have allowed the sale of GM corn, soybean, and canola oil.
Business Potential for Agricultural Biotechnology Products in Thailand
The National Biotechnology Policy Committee, chaired by the Prime Minister, approved
Thailand’s National Biotechnology Policy Framework (2004–11) in December 2003. Biotechnology
is expected to play a vital role in the country’s development by the year 2011, in keeping
with the government’s policy and the national agenda encompasssing sustainable competitiveness,
health care for all, income distribution, and a self-sufficient economy. Emphasis will be
placed on applying core technology to accelerate development in areas such as agriculture and
food, medical care, and protection of the environment, new knowledge creation for the development
of higher-value-added products as well as helping to promote high-value biotechnology
business and creating new types of services where modern technology is required. There are six
goals for biotechnology development in Thailand; those related to agricultural business are primarily
the first and second: emergence and development of new biobusiness and biotechnology
promoting Thailand as the kitchen of the world.
Traditionally, research and development of agricultural biotechnology was done primarily
by the public sector through government organizations, including the Ministry of Agriculture
and Agriculture Cooperatives, the Ministry of University Affairs, the Thailand Research Fund,
the National Research Council, and the National Science and Technology Development Agency.
Thailand’s agricultural biotechnology research is focused on curing diseases and dealing with
insect infestation and environmental stress using genetic modification, DNA markers, breeding,
and biocontrol. Local crop varieties such as papaya, tomato, and pineapple have been genetically
engineered with gene/DNA from local strains of pathogens or other genes with desired characteristics
in order to produce crops with disease resistance. Other research programs include
determination of molecular markers in rice, tomato, cucumbers, and orchids, development of
insect-, drought-, and disease-resistant rice within one variety via pyramiding of the necessary
genes, and production of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against plant viruses. In animalrelated
biotechnology, there are programs for the development of disease diagnostic products