| AFRICA BIOTECH EXPERTS ISSUE STATEMENT
The role of biotechnology in sustainable development is underestimated largely
because of the controversy regarding genetically modified organisms. This assessment
led the Africa Biotechnology Experts Working Group, who met in Entebbe, Uganda,
to release a statement endorsing the role of science and technology in contributing
to sustainable development of the African region, and encourage the governments
of the region to acknowledge this in the New Partnership for African Development
(NEPAD) agenda.
The group forwarded several recommendations, among which include the need
to:
- Complement initiatives
to create centers of excellence by strengthening existing facilities and
investment to create a critical mass of African biotechnologists
- Create
incentives by national governments for the private sector to invest
in the development and commercialization of biotechnology products
- Create
regional IP brokerage institutions for technology transfer into and out
of Africa
- Increase
and sustain government and development partners’ investment
in biotechnology development
- Harmonize
policies and regulatory frameworks for the safe transborder application
of biotechnologies
- Use
existing systems, products and services to create awareness, foster communication,
and devise effective information exchange mechanisms amongst
the parties in the region
For more information, contact Remi Akanbi of AfricaBio at remiafrica@mweb.co.za or remi@africabio.com. Visit the AfricaBio website at http://www.africabio.com.
IFPRI OPENS NEW DELHI OFFICE
The International Food
Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) opened its South Asia office in New Delhi,
India, with a ceremony presided over by India’s
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. In his opening speech, Singh called on IFPRI
to “Set up the credit inflow to farmers, to increase public investment
in irrigation and wasteland development, to increase funds for agricultural
research and extension…[and] to create a single market for agricultural
produce, to increase investment in rural healthcare, education, rural electrification,
and rural roads and commodities.”
Dr. Joachim von Braun,
Director General of IFPRI, acknowledged the role of India in IFPRI’s agenda. “From now on, our commitment to the region
will be solidified by our presence here, in close proximity to our partners
and colleagues,” Dr. Von Braun said in his welcome address, “Thus,
promoting transparency and accountability, competent public administration,
and the rule of law must be at the forefront of development policies.”
IFPRI is based
in Washington, D.C., and conducts research in developing countries to identify
policies to improve agriculture, nutrition, and the environment.
Download the speeches at http://www.ifpri.org/media/delhioffice20050307.htm
BORLAUG SPEAKS AT IARI CELEBRATION
Nobel Prize Winner and
Green Revolution proponent Dr. Norman Borlaug, was in India recently for
the centenary celebrations of the Indian Agricultural
Research Institute (IARI), where he delivered the 22nd Coromandel lecture on “From
the Green to the Gene Revolution: A 21st Century Challenge.” In his speech,
Dr. Borlaug expressed his support for the use of genetic modification to improve
crops.
Borlaug said Bt cotton
is doing a good job in many parts of the world in protecting the crop against
insects. “Use of BT Cotton is in nine million hectare
worldwide and six million small farmers. There is an excellent control of boll
worms and 25,000 tonnes of reduction in use of insecticide.”
Dr Borlaug said there was
a need to double food production by 2050 if hunger were to be banished; the
ongoing `gene revolution,' he said, could definitely
play a part in this. "You cannot build peace on empty stomachs. Only 8
per cent of countries with lower levels of hunger are mired in conflict," he
added.
With reports from http://www.indianexpress.com/
full_story.php?content_id=66628,
http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?storyflag=y&
leftnm=lmnu2&leftindx=2&lselect=2&chklogin
=N&autono=183711,
and http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/
2005/03/17/stories/2005031701991000.htm
IFPRI RELEASES NEW STRATEGY PAPER
In order to coincide with
the recent opening of the International Food Policy Research Institute’s (IFPRI) New Delhi Office, Dr. Joachim Von Braun,
Director General, and colleagues look at Indian Agriculture and Rural Development:
Strategic Issues and Reform Options. This is a new strategy paper from members
of IFPRI's Senior Management team.
Researchers outline major
recommendations for the improvement of India’s
agricultural state. These include increasing investments in rural infrastructure
and agricultural research and development to promote pro-poor and agricultural
development; creating more employment; strengthening manpower through education,
nutrition, and empowerment of women; reforming water management and institutions;
exploiting new opportunities to participate in the production and marketing
of high-value livestock products, fruits and vegetables, and fishery; and working
towards establishing and strengthening a rules-based multilateral trading system
through World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations.
Download the complete paper at http://www.ifpri.org/
pubs/ib/ib35.pdf.
UK OKS BIOTECH STATUS IN INDIA
The annual luncheon for
the Labor Friends of India at the Café Royal
in London also allowed United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Tony Blair to voice
his admiration for India's biotechnology research.
Blair called modern
India "an immensely exciting place" in his speech,
and indicated that the country will be invited to attend the meeting of the
G8 advanced nations in Gleneagles, Scotland, in July. He also said that he
was tremendously influenced by the progress India had achieved in the field
of biotechnology, and announced that the UK government would spend £1
billion to develop the biotechnology sector in the country over the next three
years.
The luncheon was
attended by over 200 guests, and included Indian business persons based in
the United Kingdom. Also in the luncheon were cabinet members,
Home Secretary Charles Clarke and Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt.
With reports from http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
articleshow/1045628.cms, http://www.telegraphindia.com/
1050306/asp/foreign/story_4460221.asp, and http://www.gg2.net/viewnews.asp?nid=602&tid
=top_headlines&catid=Top%20Headlines.
US REGULATORY SYSTEM CLEARS GM COTTON
The US Department
of Agriculture and the Food and Drugs Administration have cleared the use
of Roundup Ready Flex cotton, a step toward its potential commercial
launch in 2006. There are now no restrictions on its domestic planting or food
and feed use.
The clearance
for Roundup Ready Flex cotton, according to technology developer Monsanto, “will
provide a wider over-the-top application window for Roundup agricultural
herbicides throughout the growing season,
providing growers with
increased flexibility and convenience on the farm.”
For more details,
visit http://www.monsanto.com.
FLOWERING GENE ALSO CONTROLS SEED SIZE, RESEARCH FINDS
In "Control of seed mass and seed yield by the floral homeotic gene APETALA2," Dr.
Diane Jofuku of the University of California, Santa Cruz and colleagues demonstrate
that the gene APETALA2 (AP2) also controls seed size and weight. AP2 is best
known as a regulator of flower organ identity and development in Arabidopsis.
Their findings are published in the February 22, 2005 issue of the Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences.
By mutating AP2 in Arabidopsis plants and causing the gene to be expressed
in much lower quantities, Jofuku's research team found that average seed mass
significantly increased to as much as 104% greater than wild-type controls.
Seed weight also increased by as much as 104%. These increases, they found,
were due in part to increases in total seed protein and oil; for instance,
the mutant seeds showed a 37-57% increase in the levels of lignoceric acid
(C24:0).
Seed mass and size are good indicators of seedling survival and vigor upon
germination of many plant species. Larger seeds can mean increased tolerance
to flooding and insect predation. These advantages thus make it important to
identify what genes are involved in determining seed size and mass, and how
they may be manipulated to produce desirable agronomic traits.
Download the article at http://www.pnas.org/cgi/
reprint/102/8/3117
ANNOUNCEMENTS
UPCOMING MEETINGS IN NAIROBI
Public Lecture
Kenya’s Minister for Planning and National Development will give a public
lecture on 23rd March 2005 on “Scientifically-driven development: A means
of meeting the Millennium Development Goals.” The meeting, which is coordinated
by ICIPE, will be held at the United Nations offices at Gigiri, Nairobi.
Genome Conference
The Third Annual Africa Genome Conference will be held from March 21-24, 2005
at Windsor Golf & Country club, Nairobi, Kenya. This year’s conference
a dubbed A Time To Heal will focus on human and animal vaccines, investing
in science in Africa, among others.
IAASTD Meeting
The International Assessment of Agricultural Sciences and Technology for Development
(IAASTD) meets for three days in Nairobi from 4-6 April 2005 to develop detailed
chapter outlines for the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) sub-global component of
the Assessment. IAASTD aims to assess agricultural knowledge, science and
technology in order to use them more effectively to reduce hunger and poverty,
improve rural livelihoods, and facilitate sustainable development.
ISAAA HOLDS MEDIA WORKSHOP IN HINDI
ISAAA, in collaboration with the Indian Agricultural Research Institute
(IARI) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
(ICRISAT), is organizing a Media Workshop in Hindi on “Reporting
Biotechnology: Issues & Opportunities for the Hindi News Media” from
the 13-15th April 2005 at the NAAS Auditorium, National Agricultural Science
Center (NASC) Complex, New Delhi, India.
The workshop is organized to provide a platform to science and business
journalists & reporters from the Hindi News Media to discuss and understand
issues and concerns related to crop biotechnology. It is also aimed at educating
the media in news reporting that will effectively explain the complexities
of the science of crop biotechnology to the Indian farming community.
Details (in Hindi) are available for download at http://www.isaaa.org/kc.
For more information, contact Dr. Bhagirath Choudhary at b.choudhary@cgiar.org.
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