Pakistan Govt to re-establish National Commission on Biotechnology

Pakistan Government plans to re-establish National Commission on Biotechnology. Re-establishment of National Commission on Biotechnology and charging it with the task of coordinating nationwide research programmes in different areas where biotechnology can be applied is under consideration.

Government is also planning to review the draft of National Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Policy and Action Plan and implement it with the support of relevant organisations. Limited resources, inadequate stock of trained manpower and lack of proper coordination among the institutions are some of the reasons, owing to which biotechnology sector has not been fully developed.

Official sources said that the plan proposed by the defunct National Commission on Biotechnology, has not been approved as yet and enacting biotechnology related legislations and establishment of biotechnology incubation centers is the priority of the incumbent government.

As a cross cutting field, Biotechnology has applications in agriculture, medicine, energy, environment and industry. In Pakistan, there are 26 institutions engaged in education and research in biotechnology and genetic engineering.

A National Commission on Biotechnology was established in 2001 to streamline and promote research in the vital sector. The source said, “During the last few years, over Rs 1 billion have been invested on Research and Development (R&D) in biotechnology, through various projects approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Higher Education Commission. A certain variety of cotton developed by the Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology (CEMB) has been approved by the Punjab Seed Council and is ready for plantation in the field.”

Moreover, the official said that to promote the R&D as well as commercial aspects of biotechnology in the country, increased government support is required for promulgation of biotechnology legislation, defining standards in accordance with international practices and in establishing technology incubators and biotech parks in public sector in major cities. “International cooperation for capacity building in this area through joint research projects needs to be actively pursued,” he said.