“Tomorrow’s drugs are not going to be chemicals, but functional food” - Prof Samir K Brahmachari
Agri-Biotech and Industrial Biotech Day was inaugurated today by Prof. Samir K Brahmachari, DG CSIR, Secretary to the government of India, DSIR and Mr. M.N. Vidyashankar, I.A.S. - Principal Secretary to Govt., Department of IT, Biotechnology and S&T, Govt. of Karnataka as part of Bangalore INDIA BIO 2011 on day-3 of the event. Bangalore INDIA BIO India's premier Biotechnology event organized by the Department of Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science & Technology, Government of Karnataka, Vision Group on Biotechnology, MM Activ Sci-Tech Communications and ABLE. The inauguration was followed by a talk by Prof. Brahmachari.
He began with an anecdote to break the ice, he said that his contribution to agri-biotech (ABT) is “promoting consumption of food and putting on a lot of weight.”
Moving on to a serious note, he said that he has a vision for ABT; “tomorrow’s drugs are not going to be chemicals, but functional food”. India has a serious rodent problem. If we get rid of them, the productivity of food grains will increase several fold. We have a tendency to focus on pesticides, which brings down the quality of the soil. If we are able to evaluate which soil supports which kind of crop (in India), by mapping the entire soil metagenome to productivity, we will be the first nation to do so, and will have tremendous results.
He cited the example of the size of peanuts in Israel (1-inch), which is twice the size of those in India. Prof Brahmachari said that this was not due to the quality of the seed, but that of the soil. Similarly, if we were to ascertain the type of soil most favorable for each kind of crop, it would be a better solution to increasing productivity when compared to pesticides. He said it was time for scientific leadership. India needs to lead, while others follow, and not vice versa.
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He wants India to “use agricultural bio waste, rather than exploit natural resources”. The focus has to move from mere prosperity to people and the planet. It is time to think of people’s prosperity, while protecting the planet. ABT needs to take responsibility for the same.
After this short address, Dr Satish Raina, Director, Global Transgenes Ltd, shared his views on ABT with those present. He mentioned that Indian companies involved with the development of Genetically Modified (GM) crops have become an endangered species, on the brink of disappearing. MNCs may stay on, owing to their large size and glitches in funding.
He stated that the same government that was spending millions of dollars on GM crops earlier has suddenly decided to get stingy with the funding. He thought that this could be because of the concern about long term effects of GM foods and MNCs (what if they take control of the country?). He wondered if it is prudent to stop advancements in this field out of such fears, and offers a solution to both the concerns.
Firstly, we need to get the best toxicologists from all over the world to brainstorm over the issue of toxicity and allergenicity. He stated that even after 15 years of GM foods in the US, nothing alarming has been found. The same is the case in the EU, despite all the “hair splitting”. Secondly, he said that it is possible that MNCs may take over major areas in ABT in India. But that is possible only if we remain mere spectators in the field.
He commented on how well India is doing in the BT Pharma sector; even the mighty Chinese are in awe of us. 10-15 years ago we had the same fears in this field as we have now in the case of GM crops; it’s time to overcome these fears. “India is not a Banana Republic any more. It is a booming economy.”
He maintained that the presence of MNCs ought not to be resented. Their existence in India will only prove to be beneficial, since it will encourage competition, and ensure introduction of newer technologies. He also clearly stated that he is not asking for a blanket approval of GM crops.
The address ended on a high note, when it was announced that CSIR has given the green signal for an Innovation Lab in ABT, to be built in Karnataka.
