Thailand Encourages Biotechnology Investors

To encourage the emergence of the biotechnology business in Thailand, the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and the Thailand Centre of Excellence for Life Science (TCELS) are working with the Board of Investment to promote investments in the biotechnology area. As Thailand has a strong biotechnology base, especially in food, biodiversity and healthcare, it could become a hub for biotechnology-business development in the region, said NSTDA's president Sakarindr Bhumiratana. Satit Charnjavanakul, the BoI secretary-general, said the board offered privileges for biotechnology businesses through an eight-year tax exemption, while investors would also pay zero tariffs when they import machinery into Thailand. There are four key areas of biotechnology which would get investment promotion privileges. They are seed production or plant and animal breed improvement businesses; bio-pharmaceutical business; medical diagnostic kits, agriculture, food and environment businesses; and biomolecule and bio-active compound production businesses.

The complete article is available at http://www.nationmultimedia.com/worldhotnews/read.php?newsid=30065103. For further details, contact Supat Attathom of Biosafety and Biotechnology Information Center at safetybio@yahoo.com