| EC
AND FAO FORGE PARTNERSHIP
The
European Commission (EC) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) recently signed an agreement designed to
reinforce their joint efforts to reduce poverty, promote agricultural
development, and fight hunger in developing countries. Specific
attention will be initially given to foster close collaboration
in five specific areas: food security, sustainable rural development
and agricultural policies, food safety and quality, natural
resources management, and statistical cooperation and information
exchange.
The
EC and the FAO are expected to work even more closely with
this partnership, which will involve regular policy dialogue
at headquarters level and enhanced collaboration at country
level.
Cooperation
between the EC and the FAO dates back to 1991. It has so far
resulted in the implementation of 116 projects representing
a total budget of approximately € 108 million. Most of
the projects have provided technical assistance to developing
countries in the fields of food security, agriculture, forestry
and fisheries.
For
more information, contact Teresa Buerkle, Information Officer
for the FAO, at teresamarie.buerkle@fao.org.
The press release can be accessed at http://europa.eu.int/rapid/
pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/04/1096&format=
HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
GONSALVES
BRINGS HAWAII EXPERIENCE TO MANILA
Dr. Dennis Gonsalves of the Agricultural Research Service,
United States Department of Agriculture (ARS-USDA) visited
Manila, Philippines last September 14 to share his expertise
in the commercialization of Rainbow Papaya through a seminar-workshop
entitled The Commercialization Of GM Food: The Hawaiian Experience.
Currently the director of the Pacific Basin Agricultural Research
Center, Dr. Gonsalves not only stressed the importance of
papaya as a fruit crop, but also called for all stakeholders
to "move forward on multiple issues, because we are trying
to solve a problem, not write a paper." His studies on
the fruit began in 1978, then moved on to transgenics in 1985,
where the coat protein gene of the Papaya Ringspot Virus (PRSV),
a pathogen that threatened to cripple the then flourishing
Hawaiian Papaya industry, was inserted into the fruit’s
genome. Dr. Gonsalves presented a history of his work, including
his field trials in 1993, his work in Thailand in 1994, and
the road to commercialization of the Rainbow Papaya, including
details on the regulatory process.
Free seeds have been distributed to growers since 1998, and
Rainbow Papaya is currently being exported to the Mainland
US and Canada.
Read more on Dr. Gonsalves’ work and current projects
at http://www.ars.usda.gov/pandp/people/people.htm?personid=34950.
NEW BIOTECH
POLICY LAUNCHED FOR SOUTH AFRICA
South
African Science and Technology Minister Mosibudi Mangena has
announced the launch of a new South African biotechnology
policy describing biotechnology development needs and opportunities
in areas such as human health, plant improvement, animal health,
and industrial processes.
Mangena
said that the launch of the policy "serves as a rallying
call to industry to join us in developing a bio-economy"
in South Africa. He said that the government recognizes the
potential benefits of biotechnology, and, "Government
is committed to creating the best possible climate, be it
regula[tory], political or commercial, for biotechnology investment."
The South
African government has already invested US$67.6 million in
infrastructure to support biotechnology development, including
setting up Biotechnology Regional Investment Centres (BRICs)
to support and incubate research in the field. The three BRICs
are the Western Cape Biotech Institute, the Lifelab in Durban,
and Biopad, which covers research initiatives in the central
and northern areas of the country. Included in the total budget
of R450 million is R40 million that has been earmarked for
funding the National Bio-Informatics Network – a Cray
supercomputer based at the University of the Western Cape.
The
article can be viewed online at http://allafrica.com/stories/
200409090302.html.
In a related
report, Mangena also told a Johannesburg meeting on his department’s
strategic review and forcast on biotechnology platforms, that
since implementing the country’s National Biotechnology
Strategy, the department has created five Trusts as agencies
aimed with fast tracking the local biotech sector. “We
need to recognise that, while the government is committed
to developing biotech for South Africa, it can only be done
through meaningful partnership with our biotech stakeholders,
and with industry. We are determined to give the local sector
every opportunity to mature – responsibly – as
an African leader in biotechnology,” the Secretary said.
/AfricaBio
GM PAPAYA FOUND
IN THAI PLANTATION
A papaya
plantation in Thailand was destroyed when Department of Agriculture
staff discovered one fruit among 239 plants to be genetically
modified. The action was taken as the Thai government does
not allow commercial farming of GM crops, although three research
facilities in the country grow papaya on experimental basis.
Agriculture
Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said that although it only involved
one plant he had ordered an inquiry to determine the source
of the GM seed. The papaya seedlings that were planted were
purchased from a research station in Khon Kaen.
More
details of the papaya story at http://straitstimes.asia1.
com.sg/latest/story/0,4390,272789,00.html.
Transgenic
papaya ringspot virus (PRSV)-resistant papaya is being researched
on in Thailand to solve a most important disease of the crop.
Plants infected with PRSV produce immature or poor quality
fruits. Different methods to combat the disease have been
tried but with limited success. PRSV papaya varieties genetically
engineered to resist PRSV have been accepted for food use
in the US since 1997 and in Canada since 2003.
COFFEE GENETIC
CODE CRACKED
Brazil
now owns the widest, most comprehensive genetic database on
the coffee bean, following a two-year, $ 2 million project
between Brazilian agricultural research agency EMBRAPA and
Sao Paulo-based research foundation FAPESP. Having studied
200,000 strands of DNA, they have identified 35,000 coffee
genes, a combination of which gives the drink its aroma and
flavor.
The
success of the two-year government project was announced by
Brazil’s Agriculture Minister Roberto Rodrigues. He
proclaimed that Brazil would use the genetic code to create
a super-coffee, richer in taste, more aromatic, and resistant
to disease and frost.
Brazil,
already the world's largest coffee producer, says it will
restrict the use of the DNA database to Brazilian institutions
for five or six years, before making it available to Brazilian
private companies. Officials have not specified how many years
it will take before the data are made available to other nations.
Read
the full story at the National Coffee Association’s
Website at http://www.ncausa.org/public/pages/headlinedetails.cfm?
id=266&returnto=1
NEW BIOTECH
LAB FOR UNIVERSITY OF NAMIBIA
Namibia's
first genetically modified organism (GMO) testing, training,
and research laboratory was launched September 13 at the University
of Namibia.
Dr. Kandawa
Schultz, chairperson of the National Biotechnology Alliance,
said that the laboratory would play an important role in assisting
the Namibian government and institutions interested in reinforcing
and implementing Namibia's National Biosafety Framework.
In
addition to performing GMO testing, the lab will also carry
out capacity building through training and research. According
to Schultz, the idea for the creation of a biochemistry and
biotechnology laboratory was first initiated in 1998, when
it was recognized that Namibia needed an institution involved
with the application of modern biotechnology techniques.
Visit
the University of Namibia at www.unam.na. You can also view
the National Biosafety Framework of Namibia at http://www.dea.met.gov.na/met/programmes/biodiversity/
biosafety.htm
MALAYSIAN
GOVT TO SUPPORT KENAF SECTOR
The Malaysian
government has approved RM12 million as a grant to develop
the kenaf-based industry under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (2006-2010).
This was announced by National Economic Action Council steering
committee chairman Tan Sri Thong Yaw Hong. Kenaf is harvested
for its fiber and woody core to be processed into bio-composites
like particle boards and fiberboards. It can also be used
to reinforce polypropylene-based composites to make automotive
parts easier to recycle.
Ooi Tee
Ching reports in the Business Times that the grant will be
used for the research and commercialization of downstream
kenaf-based products, and for research of better-yielding
kenaf varieties.
For the
full article and other local agri-news in Malaysia visit
http://www.bic.org.my/BICalert/0904/p2.html.
INVESTING
IN AFRICAN AGRI RESEARCH
Agricultural
research capacity is an important factor in building food
security and economic stability in Africa. Hence, new and
better-targeted technologies and a well-developed agricultural
research system are important prerequisites for their dissemination
and adoption. This is the view of Nienke Beintema and Gert-Jan
Stads in their paper “Investing in Sub-Saharan Agricultural
Research: Recent Trends” published by the International
Food Policy Research Institute.
Beintema
and Jan Stads note that research and development funding has
increasingly become irregular and donor-dependent. This problem
is aggravated by poor national science and technology (S
& T) policies and inefficient and ineffective agricultural
research management. Hence, institutional reforms and sound
S & T policies are needed to improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of agricultural research in Africa.
Although
empirical evidence shows high rates of return from agricultural
research and development investments, growth in scientific
investments has stagnated. The authors believe that attaining
the goal of doubling Africa’s agricultural research
intensity ratio (agricultural R & D investments as a percentage
of agricultural gross development product) is a challenging
task.
For
the full report, download a copy at http://www.ifpri.org/
pubs/ib/ib24.pdf.
ANNOUNCEMENT:
NATIONAL
AGRICULTURAL BIOTECH COUNCIL CONFERENCE
The 17th
meeting of the National Agricultural Biotechnology Council
(NABC) will take place June 27-29, 2005 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Co-hosted by the University of Tennessee and the University
of Kentucky, the conference will explore the theme, "Agricultural
Biotechnology: Beyond Food and Energy to Health and the Environment."
Agricultural producers and consumers as well as representatives
from corporate, government, academic institutions, and public
interest groups are expected to participate.
NABC
is a non-profit consortium of 37 leading agricultural research
agencies and universities in North America. Read more on the
conference at http://www.isb.vt.edu/
news/2004/news04.sep.html#sep0407.
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