Developing countries have well-developed biotechnology programmes -
FAO
Several developing countries now have well-developed biotechnology
programmes and they are approaching the leading edge of biotechnology
applications and have significant research capacity, according to a new
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) assessment on the status of
research and application of crop biotechnologies in developing
countries.
Focus on food security
Based on a review of the information in the FAO database on
Biotechnology in Developing Countries (FAO-BioDeC), which covers both
genetically modified (GM) crops and non-GM biotechnologies, the
assessment suggests that developing countries will soon have new GM
crops available such as virus-resistant papaya, sweet potato and cassava
as well as rice tolerant to abiotic stresses (salinity and drought).
Most of the GMOs commercialised so far in developing countries have
been acquired from developed countries and focus on a limited number of
traits (mainly herbicide tolerance and insect pest resistance) and crops
(commodities such as cotton, soybean and maize).
However, the FAO assessment reveals that several developing countries
have been conducting research on a wider range of crops, such as banana,
cassava, cowpea, plantain, rice and sorghum, and on traits relevant for
food security, such as abiotic stress tolerance and quality.
Argentina, Brazil, China, Cuba, Egypt, India, Mexico and South Africa
have taken the lead. A second group of countries has medium-scale
agricultural biotechnology programmes, usually in a few key areas. Other
developing nations have relatively limited research capacity, according
to the FAO report. "We hope that research activities in developing
countries will increasingly focus on issues important for food
security," said Andrea Sonnino, from FAO's Research and Technology
Development Service.
Noticeable gaps
There are, however, some noticeable gaps in research. For example, no
research is reported in the field of nematode resistance despite the
considerable losses caused by these plant parasites. Another fundamental
but neglected research problem concerns post-harvest losses.
The study also notes that biosafety capacity building is needed to
enable many countries in Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the
Near East to fully benefit from GMO technology. Regarding non-GM
biotechnologies, many are being used on a commercial scale but only a
few studies have been carried out to assess their socio-economic
impacts.
The report highlights that this is an area needing urgent attention
as it is likely to help guide research and technology policies and
investments towards wider and efficient utilization of all
biotechnologies.
FAO-BioDeC
Launched in 2003 as an on-line searchable database, FAO-BioDeC
currently has about 2,000 entries from 71 developing countries,
including countries with economies in transition. It is regularly
updated and has recently been expanded to include extensive data from
the forestry sector and some initial data on livestock.
The assessment presents a first analysis of the information contained
in the database as of August 31, 2004. |