Asia biotech meet to be held annually

Noting that the biotechnology industry in Asia is still at a nascent stage, India has announced the launch of an annual 'Asia Biotech' meet, bringing together scientists and biotechnology experts who will focus mostly on the needs of the people of the region.

"Most of Asia is largely an agricultural community so agricultural biotechnology is necessary for food security," Minister of Science and Technology Kapil Sibal said adding that the experts would also focus on health security.

The launching of the annual meeting was announced by Sibal at the fourth Asean informal ministerial meeting on Science and Technology, held at Kuatan in Pahang state.

The annual meet is modelled on the lines of the 'Biotechnology Conference' held annually in the United States.

Next year's meeting will be held at Boston. The Asia Biotech conference will be held in rotation across Asean plus six nations viz China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand. The first conference will be held at New Delhi in November 2007.

"The meeting will be held in the Asean plus six countries but participation is welcome from other Asian and Western nations, though the focus will be on Asia," Sibal told PTI on Wednesday.

"We also need to set up regulatory mechanisms, something like Asian DA based on the lines of the FDA," the minister said here on his arrival after the informal meet at Kuantan.

Sibal told reporters that India would have a world class monsoon prediction system by 2008-2009, adding that "of course nothing can be foolproof as nature could be sometimes unpredictable."

Stressing that what was needed was "connectivity," he said these included doppler radar, wind profilers and modelling technologies.

"Our ultimate goal is not just monsoon prediction but the extent we can give our farmers information about monsoon hitting their districts as this will impact the sowing and harvesting," he said.

The first phase will be ready by 2008. It would take five to seven years for all three phases to be set up he said adding "We have not paid enough attention in the last 50 years but only in the last two years."

The minister said India was bringing in sophisticated systems for prediction of monsoon, cyclones and the government had allocated an investment of nearly Rs 1,000 crore (Rs 10 billion) in this area.

Commenting on GM crops, the minister noted that though there were some elements of controversy India's experience had been "good."

He also announced that India would set up tsunami warning systems by 2007. "Data buoys are being set up in the ocean, there are also tide gauges to be set up at key areas," he said noting that there would be simulation of possible tsunami and its impact.

The data of depth of the ocean all along the Bay of Bengal is being collected and India will model it in simulation mode.