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The
Philippines may learn a lot from India’s experience in
managing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton and thus
boost the farm sector through agricultural
biotechnology.
Experts
say India’s agricultural biotechnology has emerged as
one of the fastest-growing in the world in recent years,
and the latest report of the US Department of
Agriculture (USDA) attributes this to the phenomenon of
the genetically improved Bt cotton.
Among
the many institutions involved in biotechnology
commercialization is the International Crop Research
Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat), which is
based in
India
and has been at the forefront of promoting agricultural
biotechnology in the country.
Icrisat
has an incubator that has done wonders in developing Bt
corn and other products that are appropriate to India,
and has been used to develop new technology that
promotes commercialization of biotechnology products.
One
technology that it commercialized is Bt cotton by
Seedworks (I) Pvt Ltd. Icrisat-ABI provided the
enterprise with support on biotechnology techniques,
biosafety consultancy, a biotech lab and greenhouse
infrastructure.
This has
not been lost on Filipino biotech experts who nurtured
the commercialization of Bt corn more than four years
ago, believing that it would boost the country’s cotton
production and trigger an agri-biotech revolution.
A number
of “Pinoy Biotek” products are in the pipeline, waiting
for commercial release. Genetically improved crops that
grow faster, yield better and are superior in traits can
offer farmers a better chance to maximize output and
increase incomes, experts said.
In
India, agricultural biotechnology has become the
third-largest contributor among various biotech sectors,
with total revenues of more than $229 million in
2006-2007, which meant a growth of 55 percent, the USDA
said.
Export
revenue from agriculture biotechnology has grown to
$11.6 million in 2006-2007 from just $8 million the
previous year, it added.
The
report, entitled “India Biotechnology” and prepared by
Santosh Kumar Singh, claimed Bt cotton coverage has
surged over the past five years to cover 70 percent of
the area planted to cotton in 2007.
Data
from India’s Ministry of Agriculture says that Bt cotton
acreage stood at 24.4 lakh hectares out of a total of
72.3 lakh hectares covered by cotton until July 20 of
the ongoing kharif season.
Biotech
advocates in the
Philippines
say the only way to compete in agricultural trade and
level the playing field is through agricultural
modernization.
Current
advances in biotechnology, aided significantly by
international networks like Icrisat, promote technology
transfer and speed up commercialization. (biolife news
service) |
