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DEVELOPMENT: Biotech Revolution Bypasses Poorer Nations, Warns U.N.

Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS, Jul 24 2003 (IPS) - The biotechnology revolution – which has been characterised by modern-day advances in agriculture, medicine, industry and the environment – is bypassing most of the world’s poorer nations, according to a new U.N. study released here.

Pointing out that the main beneficiaries are largely developed nations, the study says that the United States, Canada and Europe now account for about 97 percent of global biotechnology revenues.

Collectively, they also account for 96 percent of persons employed in biotechnology and 88 percent of the world’s biotechnology companies.

The 17-page report, which will go before the upcoming session of the U.N. General Assembly in September, warns that developing countries "are lagging behind in adoption and development of biotechnology processes, products and services".

Despite a quantum leap in biotechnology over the last decade, most developing nations have remained virtually untouched. The only exceptions include India, Brazil, Cuba, South Korea, Mexico, South Africa and Argentina.

The study specifically singles out agriculture and medicine as areas where developing nations have failed to catch up with some of the advances made by rich nations.

"Many people in developing countries still die from curable and preventable diseases despite the progress in medical sciences," the study said.

Infectious and parasitic diseases account for about 52 percent of all deaths in Africa compared with only about two percent in Europe.

Many people still lack access to medical care, and the supply of drugs for some of the most devastating diseases remains limited.

"There are more drug options for pain relief in developed countries than drugs for malaria in the tropics," the study said.

Currently, about 52 percent of the population in developing nations depends on agriculture compared with 7 percent in developed countries. Still, developing nations have made few or no major advances in the field of agriculture.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about 95 percent of the 840 million undernourished people live in developing countries.

Traditional biotechnology includes plant and animal breeding, and the use of micro-organisms and enzymes in fermentation, preparation and preservation of products, as well as in pest control.

The study warns that the current debate over the safety of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has swayed the attention of policy makers away from the wider benefits of biotechnology to the issue of transgenic crops.

"The term biotechnology has almost become synonymous with GMOs," the study says.

The global biotechnology industry, which generated about 8.1 billion dollars in revenues in 1992 and employed less than 100,000 people, accounted for about 34.8 billion dollars in 2001, and employed over 190,000 persons.

The number of modern biotechnology drugs and vaccines has increased from about 23 in 1990 to over 130 by 2001. Currently, there are about 350 biotechnology-derived drugs and vaccines in clinical trials targeting over 200 diseases.

The area of farmland planted with transgenic crops or GMOs has increased from about 2.8 million hectares in 1996 to about 52.6 million hectares in 2001.

The United Nations predicts that this growth is expected to continue as more countries commercialise GMOs.

The study also points out that the use of biological catalysts or enzymes has entered virtually every industry, including food processing, leather and textiles, personal care, pharmaceuticals and cleaning.

Of the developing nations making inroads, both Cuba and India are becoming centres of health-related biotechnology research, development, production and marketing.

The study says that Cuban biotechnology institutions have developed or are developing vaccines, drugs and diagnostic kits for tropical diseases such as meningitis, cholera and malaria.

The Cuban government is estimated to have invested about one billion dollars in biotechnology over the last 20 years. In return, Cuba’s biotechnology centres have produced at least 160 medical products, 50 enzymes and probes for diseases.

South Africa has developed the world’s first biotechnology-based gold-processing system called the Biox process. The system has since been further developed and applied to other minerals such as zinc and nickel.

According to the study, Chile and Zambia have also experimented with the use of biotechnology in processing copper.

South Korea has developed a complete biotechnology industry strategy relying on public and private sector partnerships to help local institutions and access international centres to stay abreast of new developments.

Despite this limited progress, the world’s developing nations have a long way to go before biotechnology could be successfully deployed in their fight against poverty, hunger, disease and under-development.

In order to bridge the gap between biotech haves and have-nots, the United Nations has urged governments to take urgent action.

Firstly, developing nations have been called upon to increase the pace at which they pursue, acquire, adapt and diffuse new innovations.

Secondly, developed countries have been asked to help developing countries to build the necessary capacity to develop, manage and use biotechnology.

Thirdly, developing countries and countries with economies in transition have been urged to invest their limited resources in applications that generate wider, but also attainable benefits for their economies.

Finally, both developed and developing countries have been asked to establish stable, beneficial and strategic partnerships in the field of biotechnology.