The
Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute
(MARDI) is doing its bit in boosting the agriculture sector.
MARDI is going all out to commercialize its research and
development (R&D) findings which is consistent with
our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s
initiative for agro revolution. The scientific institution
is currently attracting
private and government-linked companies to some research
projects which are ready to be commercialized and earn
the country billions of Ringgit.
On
a separate front, it is reported that MARDI researcher Dr
Rezuwan Kamaruddin has come up with a productive and cost
effective way to grow certain varieties of heat-tolerant
temperate crops under tropical conditions. Malaysia
spends some RM680 million a year importing temperate vegetables.
But that outflow of foreign exchange can be reduced drastically
because we now have the means to grow temperate crops in
the lowlands. Based on Dr Kamaruddin’s research project,
it may not be long before Malaysians are able to savour
the very first Malaysian-grown grapes.
Besides that, MARDI also gained media attention for its
genetically engineered orchid breeding programme to make orchid
hybrids more colourful, last longer, and more disease-resistant.
“All we need to do is take one or two samples of each flower
from the jungle and mass produce them through biotechnology methods”,
said Mariam Jutta, an orchid conservation biologist at Universiti
Putra Malaysia in Serdang.
Food
& Nutrition
Having
frequent meals outside the home will not jeopardise consumers’
health if you pick the right food. Consumers are urged to
take note of the hygiene, and to avoid eating in places
where the kitchen’s cleaning habits and overall hygiene
is suspect. The article highlights the healthy alternatives
that one can choose without having to torture your palate.
For more specific pointers, please view
the original article here.
On
a separate front, a consortium of local private companies
plans to set up Malaysia’s
first palm oil-based diesel plant by January 2005, with
Europe as its main target market. “Malaysia is looking
at producing palm oil-based diesel as part of efforts to
improve consumption of the commodity and help lift prices
to levels more favourable to producers”, said Plantation
Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah
Kui. The environmental-friendly palm diesel oil, which smells
like French fries or popcorn when burned, can safely be
blended with petroleum diesel. Chin also said that over
the next 20 years, the world will shift to biofuel as it
become more environmentally-conscious, and Malaysia will
stand to gain because of its lower cost of production.
Investment
According
to MTDC chief executive Iskandar Mizal Mahmood, about
RM1 billion was allocated by the Government last year to
commercialise products from the biotechnology sector. He added
that MTDC “have found two research products from local universities
that are fit for commercialization. One of it is from Universiti
Sains Malaysia which is for a diagnostic medical product and another
from Universiti Putra Malaysia for a soil enhancement product”.
Under present
university rules, many local researchers were not allowed the
rights to their discoveries. But under a new government programme
to encourage research and development, thousands of local university
scientists will get a chance to profit if their researches turn
out to be commercially viable.
Medical
& Health
Pharmaniaga Bhd. launched
its new herbal products range, the InnoHerb, manufactured
using the Phytogranules technology that helps mask the taste
of herbs and allows better absorption of the active herbal
extracts into the body. This is the company’s maiden
entry into the RM2 billion herbal and alternative therapies
market. According to managing director Azhar Hussain, the
local market for traditionl medicine and alternative therapies
was bigger than modern medicine, which was estimated to
be worth
RM1.2 billion. He also mentioned that Pharmaniaga Bhd
would be interested in developing Malaysian traditional
and alternative medicines in collaboration with local research
institutions and centres.
A
new test kit developed by the Ipoh-based Veterinary Research
Institute allows for the detection of avian flu virus within 8
to 12 hours. Its director, Dr Sharifah Syed Hassan, said the kits
would be distributed to the institute’s field laboratories,
enabling faster implementation of quarantine measures to check
the spread of the virus, should that become necessary. Other test
kits are being developed for the detection of the Nipah virus,
viruses causing bovine viral diarrhoea and Newcastle disease,
and the Salmonella strains causing ayam berak kapur
(diarrhoea).
Trade
& Policy
Malaysia’s
strategic geographical location, rich biodiversity and good infrastructure
(including ICT infrastructure) are pull factors in attracting
leading multinational companies to locate their businesses here.
Netherlands-based cooperative bank RoboBank International
could see the good opportunities in Malaysia and is currently
negotiating with several local private companies on funding assistance.
“We are looking at food- and agri-based companies that would
want to expand their operations not only domestically but also
overseas”, said the senior relationship manager, Andy Cheng.
Elsewhere,
the next phase of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) will
see focus being placed in outsourcing, biotechnology and
increasing access to information communications technology
(ICT). The Phase
Two of the MSC plans to link ICT with bio-sciences.
“International Advisory Panel members welcomed the
MSC’s emphasis on lining ICT with bio-sciences, and
felt that Malaysia had great potential to be competitive
in healthcare, agriculture and biodiversity," said
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
