Future Action Plan of Biotechnology in Sri Lanka

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2 Future Action Plan of Biotechnology in Sri Lanka Prof. Rohan Rajapakse, Executive Director Sri Lanka Council for Agricultural Research Policy

3 Contents Project Objectives National Agricultural Biotechnology R & D & Investment plan Future action plan Challengers

4 Project Objectives Overall Objective To facilitate the application of appropriate biotechnologies in Sri Lanka to Improve agricultural production and contribute to the enhancement of national food security

5 Specific Objectives Project Objectives Develop a national agricultural biotechnology R&D programme based on the assessment of present capacities and on needs and priorities of the country in the area of biotechnology research Develop an investment plan for for presentation to potential funding agencies Strengthen human capacities in agricultural biotechnology R & D

6 Expected Project Outputs 1. National Agricultural R&D Programme -( Output 1) 2. Investment Plan for Agric.Biotech R&D -( Output 2) 3. Human capacities in Biotechnology R & D strengthened- ( Output 3) Training of scientists Identification of future biotech training needs Incentive scheme for scientists

7 Direct Beneficiaries: Beneficiaries National Agricultural Research System (NARS) and the research institutes in the public and private sector in the country Ultimate Beneficiaries: Farmers of Sri Lanka, who will be given the possibility to benefit from the biotechnological research results to overcome the problems they face, and as a consequence, to improve food production and to enhance food security in the country

8 Shared vision By 2015, biotechnology would have contributed to increased farmers productivity and enhanced national food security through: Increased availability of improved and high quality planting materials/livestock/animal feed to meet farmers and consumer needs; Improved crop/animal husbandry practices accepted by farmers and producers; Increased value added agricultural products; Sustainable use of agro-biodiversity; and Development of eco friendly agriculture.

9 Criteria for R&D Prioritization Relevance to national needs ( Rank-1) Increase productivity and cost-effectiveness (Rank-2) Market acceptability ( Rank-3) Address socio-economic needs of producers and agro-business ( Rank-3) Bio-safety (Rank-3) Appropriateness of new technologies ( Rank-4)

10 R&D Priorities Improvement of milk and milk products; Cattle (rank-1): buffalo (rank-2): goat Improvement programme for fruits and vegetables including post-harvest and quality planting materials Development of improved rice varieties that are resistant to pests and diseases and abiotic and biotic stress Improvement of production of bio fuels and byproducts of Jatropha, sugarcane, cassava, maize

11 R&D Priorities, cont. Improvement of production and processing of inland and marine fish: (1) carp (2) tilapia (3) Channa striatus (4) Macrobrachium (fresh water prawn), (5) Penaeus monodon (brackish water prawn) (6) milkfish (brackish water fish) Productivity improvement of plantation crops and species for export Improvement of quality (nutrition, etc) Improvement of production of seed potato

12 R&D Priorities, cont. Development of sensitive diagnostic techniques for identification of virus diseases in major fruits and vegetables (banana, pineapple, tomato, potato) Bio-safety related research for crops, animals Germplasm conservation Quality enhancement and production of all animal feeds

13 SWOT Analysis Strengths Rich biodiversity/genetic resources Trained human resources Successful biotech applications (in vitro propagation of banana) Emerging private sector interested in applied biotech R&D Government supportive of biotechnology R&D (draft policy under approval) Research facilities available for food crops and commodities (tea, coconut, rubber, LS&F, seed potato, vegetables, cereals, crop wild relatives) Research tools (tea, coconut, rubber, LS&F, papaya, potato) R&D funding for export crops (tea, coconut, rubber)

14 Weaknesses National Biotech strategy not yet approved Weak policy and regulatory framework for IPR (Lack of material transfer agreements, Plant Breeders Rights) and bio-safety Lack of sustained funding even of approved projects Fragmented research activities Weak linkages between research and extension/producers Lack of access to scientific information Lack of up-to-date knowledge and specialized training Inadequate research infrastructure Inadequate support services for supply of chemicals, lab supplies and equipment repair Lack of trained technicians

15 Opportunities Demand for good quality and disease-free planting materials (micropropagation) Existing linkages and partnerships for plantation crops R&D Local market demand currently met through imports (potato, onion, milk products) Funding agencies available such as CARP, NSF, NRC, FAO, USDA, USAID, etc Private sector interest in collaboration and investments for marketable biotech products Demand for molecular characterization of genetic resources to reduce duplications in collections Efficiency gain in plant breeding through marker assisted selection

16 Threats Brain drain of qualified HR Vacant research positions not filled when staff retires Lack of regulatory and legal framework Outdated procurement rules and regulations Extremely high import duties on research equipment, supplies and lengthy custom clearance process Government reallocation of approved R&D fund to other government priorities Political instability: government changes affect often programmes and funding Increasing subscription fees for journal access

17 Programme areas identified Cross-cutting areas-covering biotechnology policy, communication and management Bio-safety regulatory issues Intellectual property (IP) management and technology transfer Communication Socioeconomic Assessment Project/Program Management Bioentrepreneurship and Commercialization Biotechnology Curriculum Enhancement Bioethics Research & Development areas

18 Research programme areas identified Productivity improvement through biotechnology (pepper, tea, Okra, Mung, bean, rice) Production of quality planting material (Pepper, Cinnamon, Arecanut, rubber, cashew, Potato, Papaya, Cocunut, tea, rubber Development of molecular diagnostic tools for production of quality seed potato Conservation of endangered crop wild relatives Development of a suitable protocol for sexing of papaya at the nursery stage. Development of markers to determine the purity of hybrids of vegetables and cereals Conservation of endangered species (Crop wild relatives)

19 Research programme areas identified, cont. Improvement and development of bacterial, viral and parasitic vaccines using molecular techniques Improvement of nutrient availability of animal feeds through manipulation of rumen and gut micro flora & fauna Enhance the nutrient availability of locally available animal feed resources by using molecular techniques Development of resistant brood stock of prawns) for white spot disease using molecular markers & MAS for high growth rate of fresh water prawn brood stock

20 Draft National Agricultural Biotechnology R & D Programme (Including 7 Sub Programmes with Specific Objectives)

21 Next Step Formulation of Investment Plan Implementation of the programme Seeking Donor assistance International & Regional assistance

22 Future Action Plan Involvement of the vibrant private sector Scientific community of Sri Lanka should actively use BT tools in research programme Scaling up TC programmes for plant propagation Enhance linkages with international centers through collaborative research

23 Future Action Plan Regional cooperation in the development of regulatory systems Regional platform for fostering networking and information systems Viable and competitive industry Investment promotion in BT industry (incentives by BOI)

24 Dearth of funds Challengers Poor networking Lack of public awareness and participation Ethical consideration Implementation of GMO regulations Road map for HRD

25 Thank You