By Amy R. Remo
FILIPINO biotechnology products prepared for commercial sale by the
University of the Philippines-Los Ba?os may soon hit supermarket shelves.
Last week, UPLB Chancellor Rey Luis Velasco formally unveiled "Pinoy
Biotek" products to mark the weeklong celebration of the National
Biotechnology Week.

Among the products ready for commercial release are bio-organic
fertilizers to enhance growth of various crops and high-value vegetables;
personal healthcare products; supplements for health and wellness and animal
vaccines.

The unveiling of the "Pinoy Biotek" products formally opened a
three-day exhibit at UPLB, showcasing these biotechnology products developed
by Filipino scientists from the national government and private research
institutes.

UPLB, which has some 200 different technologies and products, is the
country's hub of agricultural science and technology, as well as
agri-biotechnology research and development.

These new products and technologies aim to increase yield and reduce
farm costs and make the various agriculture subsectors, particularly crop
and livestock, competitive.

Given its potential contribution to Philippine agriculture, Velasco
said the UPLB was shifting its focus from basic to high-end agriculture
through modern biotechnology.

At the exhibit, the Institute of Plant Breeding also revealed its
latest disease-free planting materials for traditional crops such as
cassava, papaya, tomato, abaca, corn and avocado.

It added that these were produced through tissue culture.

IPB is also about to introduce to the market other products such as
the multivirus resistant tomato; papaya resistant to the ring spot virus;
and pest-resistant eggplant.

Meanwhile, Ida F. Dalmacio, director of UPLB's National Institute of
Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, said the department was also "engaged
in extensive research and development for biofuels production."

These include studies on possible plant sources for biofuel such as
jatropha and sweet sorghum.

UPLB is also pushing to establish a center where it can consolidate
all the biotech research institutes within the UP system, as part of its
technology and product commercialization proposal to sustain ongoing
research and development.
[business.inquirer.net]