Biotechnology: The advent of molecular pharming

The National Biotechnology Policy unveiled in 2005 is already in place. The implementation of the policy is anchored by the Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation (MBC). Based on their latest information, many companies have now been accorded the Bionexus Status.

Bionexus companies have to fulfil MBC's many technical and commercial criteria. With the Bionexus status, the companies are eligible for the many incentives offered under the policy, including tax breaks and some attractive research and development grants.

The focus now is on three sectors, agricultural, pharmaceutical and industrial.

In the pharmaceutical sector, there has been a growing interest in producing vaccines from plants. This is what is termed as molecular farming. Essentially it involves producing new compounds from plants through genetic engineering. The new compounds can include pharmaceutical products such as medical drugs, vaccines or antibodies.
In the European Union, genetically engineering the tobacco plant to produce vaccines has already advanced to the commercial phase. Tobacco is among the easiest plant to genetically transform.

What is needed is only to do some research to develop an economically high-yielding transformed tobacco plant designed to produce vaccines for the regional market. And this is not difficult.

In the EU, molecular pharming through tobacco is already on the verge of commercial reality. The target vaccine, of course, differs.

Fama Optimistic About Gulf Markets And Beyond

The Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) is upbeat about the opportunities available in the Gulf region and beyond to market Malaysia's a wide array of fruits and agro-based products.

Fama northern regional director Mohamed Ariffin Awang, who is leading the agency's team at Gulfood 2009 exhibition here, said this was based on discussions with two new importers that took place ahead of the Feb 23-26 event, billed as the region's largest trade exhibition for food, drinks, food service and hospitality equipment.

"They've expressed their readiness to import several containers of fresh fruits every week as well as processed agro-based products from Malaysia.

"And what we're excited about is that one of them distributes to outlets in about 80 countries. So it looks very promising," Mohamed Ariffin told Bernama.

Fama is a marketing agency established under the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry. It was set up as a statutory body in 1965.

ADB grants DR Congo $8 mln in aid to agricultural production

The African Development Bank (ADB) has granted 8 million U.S. dollars to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) in support of the central African country's agricultural production.

ADB official Korsaga A. Frederic unveiled the funding on Saturday in Kinshasa, after an inspection tour of N'sele, 40 km away from the capital city.

Frederic, who is heading a 12-member team on a three-day visit to DR Congo, said part of the money will be used to import fertilizers for agricultural production.

N'sele is an agro-industrial community known for poultry and pig farms and the production of ananas and tomato.