Bangladesh to Strengthen Biotech Initiatives

The Bangladesh government is committed to strengthening the teaching, research and developmental activities regarding biotechnology. This assurance was forwarded by Dr. MA Sattar Mondal, vice chancellor of Bangladesh Agricultural University, and Dr. Md Shah-E-Alam, vice chancellor, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University during the launch of the Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2010 on March 16, 2011.

The vice chancellors said that the University curriculum will be updated with substantial inclusion of biotechnology and biosafety. Institutional and infrastructural facilities will also be remodeled and upgraded for biotech activities.

The global scenario for crop biotechnology was presented by Dr. Randy Hautea, global coordinator of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA). The seminar with the theme "Global status of biotech crops: Contribution to food security and poverty alleviation in Bangladesh" was organized by the Bangladesh Biotechnology Information Center (BdBIC) in collaboration with Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University. About 100 stakeholders from various disciplines attended.

The government has approved three biotech crops for confined field trial: insect resistant Bt brinjal, late blight resistant RB potato and vitamin A enriched Golden Rice. It is hoped that the GM crops under trial in Bangladesh may be approved for commercial cultivation in the near future.

For more developments on biotech in Bangladesh, contact Dr. Khondoker Nasiruddin of the Bangladesh Biotechnology Information Center at nasirbiotech@yahoo.com.