The
importance
of technology in transforming the Malaysian agricultural
sector into a major global player and income earner has
been highlighted in the Malaysian Agriculture and Agrotourism
exhibition 2004 (MAHA 2004) recently. The Government hopes
that through the ties with global agricultural players,
the country can be positioned as an Asia-centric agricultural
hub.
To
facilitate Malaysia in achieving its aim, the Sarawak Biodiversity
Centre (SBC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with
Nimura Genetic Solutions (M) Sdn Bhd (NGS), a Japanese bio-prospecting
venture company to carry out microbial
research on Sarawak’s indigenous plants. The MoU covers
the transfer of technology in which NGS will send its experts
to Sarawak to train the centre’s research staff in microbial
research. In return, NGS will have preferential rights to carry
out further research and microbial research and to negotiate and
market the useful products derived from the venture.
Malaysian
Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) has been
actively involved in research and development (R&D) to employ
the power of technology in transforming the agricultural sector.
It has developed an artificial
insemination technology that could help to multiply cattle
numbers in the country. The research institute seeks partners
from the private sector to commercialize the technology that can
increase local herds from the current 250,000 cattle a year to
three million in 2010. “We are fine-tuning the technology
before it is ready for commercialization,” said MARDI biotech
research centre director Dr Hassan Mat Daud.
Aside
from that, MARDI has also signed an agreement with BioFacture
Sdn Bhd, giving the company three years of exclusive
rights to market the MARDI’s Rapid
Detection Kit for organophosphate pesticides residues
in vegetables. The rapid test kit, based on the Sol-Gel
technology, takes between 15 and 30 minutes from the sampling
to completion of the test and “… this means
more test can be conducted compared with the existing technique,”
said the managing director of BioFacture Sdn Bhd, Shafiq
Ezanee Abdullah.
Food
& Nutrition
Rice
is so important to the Asian diet that it may be the main
component of almost all the meals Asians consume. Yet it
is this dependence
on rice that contributes to chronic micro-nutrient deficiency
in millions. According to Asian Food Information Centre
(AFIC), although rice is able to provide adequate energy,
it has an incomplete amino acid profile and contains limited
amounts of micro-nutrients. Milling, which produces white
rice – the most commonly eaten form – removes
large amounts of proteins, fibre, fat, iron and B vitamins.
Therefore, the most common nutritional problems in poor
rice-eating communities are protein-energy malnutrition
and iron, iodine and Vitamin A deficiencies. “It is
imperative to improve rice’s nutritional profile to
ensure that communities obtain adequate nutrition from eating
rice,” said AFIC.
Besides the issue
above, the awareness about bone health in men has also been raised
in conjunction with the World Osteoporosis Day 2004. According
to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, around the world
an estimated one in five men over the age of 50 will experience
osteoporosis. AFIC hence recommends three essential goals to beat
osteoporosis; consume enough dietary calcium; ensure the body
gets enough vitamin D from diet and/or sunlight; and fit in enough
weight-bearing exercise into our daily routine. For more information,
please click
here.
Elsewhere
at a media briefing, a researcher Prof Chandan K. Sen explained
that the Vitamin E available now is mostly made from one
half of its compounds called tocopherols. Recently, however,
Prof Sen discovered that the other half, called tocotrienols,
extracted from palm oil, could maintain and protect major
organs much better. “There are eight forms of Vitamin
E and all are equally good at protecting the brain. However,
a side-by-side study of the eight compounds showed that
tocotrienol
is more effective,” Prof Sen explained.
Industry
& Environment
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)’s dean of agriculture faculty
Professor Dr Mohd Khanif Yusop had commented that the agricultural
industries currently lacks information and communications technology
(ICT) attention compared to other sectors such as finance. He
believes that experts in both
ICT and agriculture need to collaborate for agricultural development
that will benefit everyone. Citing telemedicine as an example
of concept that can be applied in agriculture, Dr Mohd Khanif
said a farmer can install a camera to monitor his crop remotely.
A farmer may not know how to do this, but for an ICT professional,
this is a simple task. So both experts in agriculture and ICT
can work together to come up with a suitable solution.
Cooking
oil can be an alternative fuel source within the next two
or three years. Dr Ibrahim Hussein, dean of the College
of Engineering at Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), announced
that researchers at this university had succeeded in producing
bio-diesel from used cooking oil. Malaysia may soon
recycle used cooking oil and use it as fuel. Dr Ibrahim
said UNITEN uses an instrument called a “labscale
bio-diesel processor”, which converts cooking oil
into one litre of bio-diesel in 30 minutes. “We are
trying to get it to produce more fuel in the shortest possible
time,” he added.
Investment
Since
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi urged Government-Linked
Companies (GLCs) and big corporations to be the driving
force behind the country’s green revolution, several
companies have shown
their interest in venturing into projects. Chief executive
officers of several GLCs have got in touch with the Agriculture
and Agro-based Industries Ministry to ascertain the type
of projects they can get involved in. “Response has
been good. Big firms like Permodalan Nasional Berhad and
Tabung Haji have called us. Some have even visited the ministry
to discuss how they could contribute,” the Ministry’s
Secretary-General, Datuk Abi Musa Asa’ari Mohamed
said in an interview. He said the interest of GLCs is further
sparked after Economic Planning Unit and the National Economic
Action Council (MTEN) organized a one-day forum to educate
GLCs about the agricultural sector.
In addition,
the US
biotechnology companies that have yet to invest in Malaysia
are keen to find out more about investment and trading opportunities
in the country, Datuk Seri Abdul Ahmad Badawi said while attending
the two-hour-dialogue organized by JP Morgan in New York. The
Prime Minister, who met 20 executives of large and medium companies,
told the Malaysian media that the dialogue session with venture
capitalists had made them aware of the opportunities to modernize
agriculture in Malaysia through biotechnology.
In
other developments, there are plans on the local front with
an eye on the global herb market that was estimated at US$80
billion (RM304 billion) in 2001. The World Bank estimated
that the value would go up to US$5 trillion in 2050. Consistent
with this, Felcra
Bhd aims to venture into the lucrative herb industry
to diversify its business and reduce its dependency on rubber
and palm oil earnings. “It is crucial for Felcra to
provide a steady income that is less vulnerable to changes
in the global market,” said its chairman, Datuk Hamzah
Zainudin. “Felcra is working closely with agencies
such as MARDI and FRIM, on research and development,”
said Datuk Hamzah. But he said its participation in the
herb sector is at its initial stage and is unable to say
when the venture would go full scale.
Medical
& Health
India,
which ranks fourth in the world in pharmaceuticals and accounts
for 8 per cent of the world’s production by volume, is looking
at the possibility of setting
up a manufacturing plant in Malaysia. “We should be
looking at the pharmaceutical industry in a big way in Malaysia
not only as an export market but as a strategic location in setting
up manufacturing plants,” the secretary-general of Federation
of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Dr Amit Mitra said.
He said the world’s most famous pharmaceutical companies
are to be found in India, while India’s pharmaceutical companies
had established their presence globally.
Stem cells hold out the hope of curing diseases like juvenile
diabetes and Parkinson’s, drawing such labels as
“miraculous” and “futuristic”
for this emerging medical field. Malaysia is becoming
a notable leader in this area, providing the base for
breakthroughs in heart disease treatment for one. To find
out more, please click here.
Trade
& Policy
Local scientists
can expect better incentives when the Government draws up a
new perks scheme to encourage research. The Government is
drawing up a Bill to provide incentives for researchers to devote
their time in doing research and development work with commercial
potential. “The Government realized that poor returns and
megre incentives had deterred scientists from research,”
said the Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr
Jamaludin Jarjis. The bill is being modeled after the United States’
Bayh Dole Act, which allows scientists to own part of the intellectual
property (IP) rights as a reward. “By giving them a percentage
of the IP in research funded by the Government, we hope to create
a core of local scientists who will have a clear idea on the economic
impact of their works,” the minister explained.
Likewise,
the Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ministry plans to
increase
MARDI’s allocation for its biotechnology sector.
“The new allocation will depend on MARDI’s budget
and they have to submit it before next year,” Minister
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin explained. “The Government
has also been throwing in incentives to attract the private
sector to help in the production of biotechnology and we
hope more private organizations will be involved,”
he added.
