The Hindu : Fears about biotechnology, transgenic plants allayed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 18, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mangalore

Fears about biotechnology, transgenic plants allayed

By Our Staff Correspondent

MANGALORE, JAN. 17. Leading biotechnologists have sought to allay fears about biotechnology and transgenic plants.

They were participating in a national symposium on "Biotechnology for a better future" organised by the Dr. W. Kupper's Biotech Unit of St. Aloysius College here on Friday to mark the 125th anniversary celebrations of the college. The symposium will conclude on Saturday.

Inaugurating the symposium, Manmohan Attavar, biotechnologist, said the future belonged to biotechnology-driven agriculture as the demand for food was growing at an alarming rate while the means of production were on the wane. Due to irrational use of chemical fertilizers, fungicides, and pesticides, land had become less fertile now, he said and added that only biotechnology could help maintain the quantum of foodgrain production to meet the growing demand.

He said conventional agricultural methods were prone to the dangers of diseases, pests, environmental degradation, climatic changes, and decreasing production.

Biotechnological tools could help farmers in this regard.

Mr. Attavar said developed countries had already started using biotechnology in a big way and their agricultural produce was free from the hazards of chemicals.

By embracing biotechnology, the country could market its agricultural produce globally as "chemical residue free", he said.

With its vast land resource and varied weather conditions, India could increase its agricultural and horticultural produce by using biotechnology and emerge as the world leader in agriculture, he said.

Mr. Attavar noted that 70 per cent of the country's population depended on agriculture for a living. The country could use this to its advantage to bring about a change in the food security situation as well as earn foreign reserve, he added.

However, there was a delay in understanding the importance of biotechnology and the policy initiatives were sluggish. If policy initiatives had to yield result, biotechnology research and production should have access to more funds and longer repayment period, he said.

The secretary of the Plant Tissue Culture Association of India, S.K. Sopory, revealed that by using genomic tools, it was possible to bring down "abiotic" stress in plant caused by salinity.

He pointed out that drought, salinity, high and low temperature, and floods were the major causes for abiotic stress in plants, which could bring down the production level drastically. Dr. Sopory, who quoted a report, highlighted the problems caused by salinity and said 954 million hectares in the world was affected by salinity, of which 69 per cent was in Asia and Australia. The only solution to this problem was to develop salinity-tolerant plants using genomic tools.

Earlier, the Rector of St. Aloysius Institutions said media was highlighting the negative aspects of biotechnology, which would have an adverse affect on the move to popularise biotechnology for the benefit of millions.

The Director of Dr. Kupper's Biotech Unit, Leo D'Souza, introduced the speakers. The Principal of the college, Eugene Lobo, welcomed the gathering.

About 60 delegates from across the country are participating in the symposium. It is proposed to bring out a charter of recommendations at the end of the symposium, which will be presented to the Union and State governments.

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