Biogenus to invest $15 million in Karnataka

Biogenus India Ltd, the Indian arm of the US-based Biogenus Inc, on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding with Karnataka government to set-up a Marine Biotech research station at Kumta in Uttar Kannada district and a Bacterial culture and enzyme plant in Bangalore.

"We are investing $4 million at Kumta and over $11 million in the Bangalore plant," Biogenus India chief executive K S Reddy said.

Reddy said Biogenus will sign an MoU with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research at New Delhi on Tuesday for conducting joint research in pollution control, particularly in the aquaculture industry.

Utkarsh Palnitkar, director, Ernst & Young India Pvt Ltd said the National Institute of Oceanography, a CSIR body at Goa, was conducting research on pollution control in aquaculture industry and Biogenus station at Kumta near Goa would further promote joint research.

Reddy said the station would conduct field trials on shrimp culture media, enzymes and microbial bioremediation.

"The media will release oxygen at the bottom of the pond and the enzymes will control effluents, thereby producing good quality shrimps in an environment friendly method and making aquaculture sustainable," Reddy said.

He said Biogenus US had developed the technology and already demonstrated it in the west, which was being indigenised at the research station in Kumta.