Training for customs officials on bio-safety

Chennai, Apr 30 (UNI) Mr Subash Chander Chief Commissioner Customs and Central Excise Chennai today hailed the efforts of the National Academy of Customs, Excise and Narcotics (NACEN) Chennai for undertaking training programmes for customs officers on bio-safety and said it was the need of the hour. Inaugurating a two-day workshop on ''Bio-safety'', organised by the NACEN the Apex training organisation of the Department in association with the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, for Senior Customs officers here, he said the need for such programmes arese due to fast changing developments in the arena of bio-technology which has engendered concerns for bio-safety.

Speaking on the occassion, Additional Director General of NACEN Chennai Ms Vanaja N Sarna pointed out that in tandem with the revolution sweeping the world in the area of information technology, the advent and development of bio-technology has ushered in novel products that would exponentially increase food production and reduce hunger around the world.

She said new technologies could also help reduce pesticide consumption and thereby make the environment relatively safer. New drugs could also dramatically improve human health.

Simultaneously, new trends in bio-technology have also raised concerns for human health and environment when untested technologies and novel products are recommended for mass consumption, she added.

To achieve the twin goals of benefiting from bio-technology and protecting against the risk inherent in its breath-taking development, countries of the world have given themselves a new landmark treaty called Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety, she said.

More UNI