|
Biotechnology
& Medical Equipments
India's
biotechnology sector has been nurtured since its inception by the national
government. However, it is an industry still in its infancy. Currently India
is making a considerable investment in both academics and the existing
industry infrastructure to accelerate the sector's growth and contributions. Tamil
Nadu is rich in
bioresources. The variety of geographical terrains in the State provides
tremendous biodiversity rarely seen in any other single State. The forest,
agricultural and plant resource base of the State are both large and diverse
and represent great market opportunity for biotechnology products. There are
more than 5,000 species of flowering plants and the forest cover in the State
spreads over 22,500 sq.kms. The State also has one of the largest coastlines
in the country which again presents opportunities for Marine Biotechnology.
The State is also fortunate to have a pool of experts in various areas of
Biotechnology with experience in commercialisation of Biotech products. Industrial activity so
far in the area of Biotechnology has been largely in first generation
Biotechnology like fermentation of antibiotics. A number of Tissue
Culture Units to produce food and ornamental plants have also been set up by
leading industrial houses in Tamil Nadu. Thus, Tamil Nadu has the potential
to create a critical mass of industrial activity in Biotechnology,
graduating from the current first and second generation Biotechnology
projects to modern Biotechnology products involving recombinant, DNA- based
products and Bioinformatics. Government
is trying to promote use of biotechnology to enhance the value of Kerala's
export-oriented resources such as spices, seafood, plantation crops and so on
while ensuring that appropriate quality standards are maintained. In this
context, the need to use biotechnology tools to leverage the State's
traditional ayurvedic system of medicine comes in for special mention. |
|
State |
Units Surveyed by Questionnaire |
Units Visited |
Units Profiled |
Unit Profiled |
Technology/Project Title |
|
TamilNadu |
20 |
5 |
2 |
Bulk Drugs Manufacturing viz. Beta
Carotene, Lycopene, Phycocyanin |
|
|
PVC Blood Bags |
|||||
|
Kerala |
5 |
2 |
2 |
Retractable Safety Scalpel |
|
|
Biotechnology Plant Tissue Culture |