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WHEN IT COMES to biotechnology, a cliché is worth repeating: The sector holds rich potential. Biotechnology has the potential to transform lives in India in a way that few other scientific advances have or can. From agriculture to medicine, it can confer far-reaching benefits. As in the case of information technology, India has the ingredients in place to capitalise on the opportunities thrown up by the potentials of biotechnology. The strengths are the low cost of manufacture, and a pool of technical skill. The comparison with information technology should end there. Arguably, understanding is what the biotech industry in India requires most at the moment. There is a danger that inappropriate comparisons with IT can lead to unwarranted disappointment with biotech. Unless the country has a proper perspective on the issues involved, the grand biotech vision may turn out to be a mere mirage.

Progress in biotechnology cannot come about solely on the strength of corporate endeavour. For a start, the poor state of the institutions of higher education is worrisome. Unlike the IT industry, biotechnology needs manpower that is equipped with a minimum level of technical skill. When biotechnology graduates are deemed fit by the pharmaceutical industry only for a medical representative's post, it is a telling comment on the quality of education. On the positive side, the Centre and a few State governments seemed to have understood the potential of biotechnology, and promise remedial measures. Inevitably, the pharmaceutical industry has attracted most attention on the heels of progress they have shown. Growing resources and the ability to attract manpower have led to pharma companies making significant progress in the development of vaccines. The number of pharma companies engaged in some kind of research on biotechnology is hazy. It could be anything from 100 to 150. But what is not hazy is the absence of adequate fiscal incentive to promote research. If the hepatitis B vaccine is relatively more affordable today, it is because the willingness of a handful of companies to risk the huge odds stacked against them. By offering fiscal incentives, having transparent procedures and taking timely decisions the Government can create the right environment for growth of the biotech industry.

Biotech perhaps has a more direct bearing on our lives than most sunrise industries. Media coverage on the issue in biotech can have a critical effect on way legislation is framed, and thereby, the manner in which the industry evolves. The complex and profound nature of biotech calls for depth in media coverage. The absence of depth and balance in media coverage, especially in the controversial area of agricultural biotech, can easily mean another missed opportunity.

The very nature of biotech presents significant entry barriers for most countries. The magnitude of outsourcing in the industry, especially research, presents India with a unique opportunity to benefit from a rapidly evolving technology. A lot, however, will hinge on the sense shown by three entities: the Government, the financier and the media.

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