INDIA:National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority should be set up

6 Jan 2010

Dr. Ajay Parida, Executive Director, M.S. Swami Nathan Research foundation (MSSRF) called for setting up an autonomous National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority in the country for regulating the research and clearance to genetically modified plants and animal products. He was delivering a lecture on biotechnology in the 97th Indian Science Congress in Thiruvanathapuram. Before releasing a transgenic product to public, environment impact study or clinical trails should be under taken, said Dr. Parida. According to him the proposed authority will be in a position to approve the release of transgenic plants to framers without delay as the present procedure for approval was a prolonged one and time consuming. He said that at least ten verities of transgenic crops have been developed by various government laboratories which are not released to framers for want of official approval.

MSSRF has developed a salt resistant and drought resistant transgenic rice verity years back and it is under field trail only. He said that transgenic rice varity has an yield of two tons per hectre which will be stable up to six generation. The transgenic paddy can also be cultivated under normal condition. He said that productivity of paddy in the country is stagnant at 2.12 tons over a period of 1996-2007.

But in Taiwan the productivity of paddy is five tons per hectre MSSRF has also developed iron enriched rice by using biotechnology tools. Research is also been carried out to develop a transgenic plant which will absorb heavy metals like cadmium and nickel from the soil. He said that biotechnology is only a tool to help mankind to address various problems in areas like health and agriculture like any technology it can improve the life of man.