Brazil to seek global leadership in biotechnology
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced today (08), in the Brazilian capital Brasília, the creation of a national policy for biotechnology. Five ministries and representatives of the academic and private sectors will work for Brazil to become the global leader in the sector in 10 to 15 years.
Roosewelt Pinheiro/ABr
Minister Furlan: Brazilian biodiversity contributes to development of biotechnology
Isaura Daniel, special envoy*
Brasília - Brazil will begin implementing a national program to become the global leader in biotechnology in 10 to 15 years. Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a decree today (8) outlining a development policy for the biotechnology industry in the country. The government believes that the country's biodiversity places Brazil in an advantageous position compared to other countries.
According to the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, there are currently 1,700 groups in the public, academic and private sectors working in the biotechnology sector in Brazil. The national program will manage and provide support to these activities, as well as facilitate corporate access to research results.
Already in 2007, according to information provided by the minister of Development, Luiz Fernando Furlan, R$ 1 billion (US$ 479.5 million) in public funds will be available for biotechnology research in the country. The money will be provided by the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) and by sector funds, which are linked to the ministries and consist of tax revenues.
The plan was devised through debates between the private and public sectors, and will receive support from five ministries, all of which are somehow related to the area: Health, Development, Science and Technology, Agriculture and Environment. The goal is to encourage biotechnological applications in five different fields: health, food security, animal health, industrial products and environmental quality.
A national committee will be established, including representatives of the five ministries and of the academic sector, to monitor the development of the program. Biotechnology should foster production, and consequently employment in the country, in addition to opening new doors to the foreign market.
In fact, Brazilian biotech research has already shown promising results. The minister cited as examples the work of the Amazon Biotechnology Center - CBA, which developed natural colouring products for food and cosmetics, and the work of a factory, in the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia, which produces sterile flies designed to eradicate fruit flies; these sterile flies are now being exported.
Brazilian biotechnology also led to the creation of new strains of sugar cane and soy, capable of thriving both in the country's dry and more humid areas, not to mention ethanol production, another result of biotech. Brazil is currently the leading ethanol producer in the world.
The program launched today should contribute to lessen Brazilian imports of medications, and help the country become an exporter of certain medical products. "In imports of vaccines against rabies alone, Brazil spends R$ 80 million (US$ 38.8 million) a year," said Furlan.
The Ministry of Health already provides support to several programs aimed at innovation in medication. One such program is turned to the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals using marine microalgae. Another program specializes in developing medication to treat neglected diseases, such as malaria. This type of work, as well as biotech work in the agricultural and the industrial sectors, should get a boost from the new government plan.
Yet another branch of the program targets universities. "Brazil graduates 10,000 doctors each year. We are going to steer these graduates toward our priorities, so their background matches ongoing projects," Furlan said.
Foreign resources and participation in biotechnological development is also welcome, according to the consultant for biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and medication at the Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development (ABDI), Adriana Diaféria. Adriana explained that Brazil wants to show how advanced it is in the field, thus encouraging exchange with other countries.
The Brazilian Association of Biotechnology Companies (Abrabi) estimates the annual revenue of the biotechnology sector in the country to be between R$ 5.4 billion (US$ 2.5 billion) and R$ 9 billion (US$ 4.3 billion). Of the 28,000 job positions created, 84% are in the micro and small businesses. |
