Public funding must in biotech R and D: Jairam Ramesh

Bangalore, June 9 (UNI) Opining that the country's agriculture sector would be doomed if research and development in biotechnology rested with private entrepreneurs sans public funding, Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh today strongly favoured strengthening public sector research organisations in developing new variety of crops.

Delivering the keynote address at the Agribiotech Day at Bangalore Bio-2006, the country's largest biotech show here, he regretted that over the years, public sector R and D institutions engaged in producing high yielding variety of crops were suffering from financial crunch due to sharp decline in grants from the Government. This trend had to be reversed. There must be both public and private participation in evolving new variety of seeds both in cash and staple crops for the benefit of the farming community.

Dr Ramesh said there must be a correlation between increasing number of farmers suicides and application of new variety of BT cotton seeds in Punjab, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.

The Minister said that during the last five years, the country had witnessed a quantum jump in both cotton production and cultivable area. The commendable increase was driven by many factors, including application of new technology seeds. The exact reason for the increase had to be studied. While the farmers were yet to accept BT cotton seeds, sown only in eight per cent of the total cotton grown area, there must be different factors for the increased production, he added.

''The exact source of growth must be identified to remove any misconception over the continuation of traditional practice of farming and introduction of new technology,'' he added.

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