Conference Promotes US - India Scientific Cooperation in Agricultural Biotechnology

May 15, 2003

New Delhi - An international conference of scientists involved in the research of agricultural biotechnology opened in New Delhi today. The conference brings together dozens of the most senior scientists from the US and India.

Organizers of the conference, "The Indo-US Agricultural Biotechnology Conference," hope it will enhance linkages between Indian and American scientists and promote joint research to address challenges such as drought, salinity in crop production, and inadequate nutrients in commonly consumed foods.

The conference is co-sponsored by the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum, the Department of Biotechnology of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Indian Council for Agricultural Research, and the US Agency for International Development.

Agricultural biotechnology offers tremendous potential to help develop sustainable agriculture based on modern biology. Crops improved through biotechnology not only offer enhanced agronomic and marketing qualities that can raise agricultural productivity, they present new tools to address complex problems such as environmental stress tolerance and nutritional enhancement of foods.

The importance of increasing productivity on marginal lands that are susceptible to environmental stress and addressing malnutrition are particularly important in India where the numbers of poor are high and the population is predicted to increase significantly in the coming decades.
The international research community, and in particular U.S. research institutions offer access to leading scientific development in these areas.

This conference provides scientists from both countries the chance to exchange research findings on areas of mutual interest and promotes linkages between them and other international scientists to address such problems.