Biotechnology “has a definite role to play” in improving Indian agriculturalproductivity and consumer nutrition and, potentially, fueling an energy-hungry nation.

Amid substantial Indian biotech investment and creation of a separate government biotechnology department, general acceptance is not a problem. The major hitch in India’s biotech revolution is cultural. The country’s largely Hindu population is concerned about inserting animal genes into grain or produce.

India’s biotech acceptance could translate to new U.S. export potential. India has expanded soy crushing capacity to meet internal feed-food needs, but because domestic production cannot keep pace, soy imports are necessary.

Beyond cotton India has developed a good partnership with China in researching GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) rice. Interest in biotech potential for horticultural crops has also been shown. Swiss-based Biogen has been working with bananas, strawberries, and papaya.

The most intriguing is biotech’s potential role in helping India generate its own energy, improve air quality, and make use of marginal lands.

New business model in the Indian biotechnology sector

Reliance Life Sciences, Asia Cryo-Cell and Histostem Co. Ltd. have all been involved in stem cell research. Now, all the three companies have got the go-ahead to set up a blood bank with a difference.

They can now be a repository of umbilical cord blood, which is a rich source of stem cells, for cell transplantation treatment. With the recent approvals by Indian Council of Medical Research, the three companies can start private banking of cord-blood in India. It is a new business model in the Indian biotechnology sector, more on the lines of medical insurance.

By enrolling with a cord-blood bank, expectant mothers can ensure that the umbilical cord of the child is preserved for the next 21 to 30 years as a medical safeguard against complicated diseases like leukaemia, diabetes, thalassemia, spinal cord damage and irreversible blindness, to treat the entire family.