Biotechnology is a fast emerging sector and is expected to play a key role in the new economy. India has many comparative advantages in terms of knowledge, skills, R&D facilities and costs in the sector. The institutional infrastructure in the country provides the basic foundation for these strengths to translate into business opportunities. India has a biotech agenda. "To be a $5 billion industry by 2010." To make this possible all the stakeholders of this sector need to have a common goal. The government, industry, academia, public research, and funding agencies all need to work hand in hand. They need to be competitive, collaborative, and cohesive. They need to strike the right balance between public welfare and company welfare.

Biotechnology Administration in India

As a developing nation, India has recognised the role of biotechnology as a tool for growth and advancement of various sectors such as agriculture and health. Realising the immense potential of biotechnology, India began its initiatives in this sector in the 1980s. The Sixth Five Year Plan (1980-85) laid emphasis on biotechnology development. The plan proposed to develop and strengthen capabilities in areas such as immunology, genetics, communicable diseases, etc. Since then, there have been multiple developments in the field of biotechnology in India . The various institutions responsible for administering the biotechnology industry in India include the following:

Government Bodies – The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) are the government bodies.

Affiliated Bodies – The University Grant Commission (UGC), the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR), and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) are independent bodies affiliated to the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Science and Technology, respectively.

Policy Initiatives

The union government as well as the state governments have taken various initiatives to boost biotechnology in India . Several state governments including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Delhi have taken initiatives to encourage entrepreneurs to set up biotech industries in their states.

Some of the key steps taken include:

• announcing a separate Biotechnology Policy for states as a recognition of the importance of the sector as a key growth area;
• setting up of exclusive Biotechnology Parks;
• instituting Task Forces with experts to guide them on policy issues.

Indian Biotechnology Industry – An Overview

The Indian biotechnology industry accounted for a 1.86 percent contribution worth INR 4,745 crores to the USD 91.0 billion global biotechnology industry in 2004-05. The Indian biotechnology industry registered an annual growth rate of 36.55 percent over INR 3,475 crores in 2003-04. The Indian biotechnology industry grew at a CAGR of 43.5 percent during the period 2002-05

The Indian Biotechnology is represented by the following five segment

• BioAgriculture – The BioAgriculture sector comprises plant-derived pharmaceuticals, biotechnological development in crops and livestock, marine science, and forests.
• BioIndustry – The BioIndustry sector comprises biotechnologically developed products such as enzymes, bio-instrumentation and bioprocess equipments. Bio-instrumentation includes surgical and medical instruments.
• BioInformatics – BioInformatics or computational biology refers to the use of multiple techniques, including applied mathematics, computer science, information technology, Technology is used in multiple research areas such as comparative genomics, gene expression analysis, high-throughput image analysis, modelling of biological systems, protein expression analysis, sequence analysis, structure prediction, etc.
• BioPharmaceuticals – Biopharmaceuticals may be defined as medical drugs that are produced by biotechnology. Biopharmaceuticals usually comprise macromolecules, which are created through genetic manipulation of living organisms using gene cloning, recombinant DNA (gene slicing) or cell fusion technologies. The major thrust areas in biopharmaceuticals are diagnostics, monoclonal antibodies, oligonucleotides, recombinant proteins and vaccines.
• BioServices – BioServices comprises research services provided by contract research organisations (CRO). Examples of such organisations operating in India include Quintiles, Syngene and SiroClinpharm. Biotechnology in India can be divided into three broad areas - human and animal health care, agricultural, and industrial.

Market Growth

During 2004-05, the Indian Biotechnology industry grew at 36.55 percent. The BioPharmaceuticals segment grew by approximately 29.72 percent, primarily due to the vaccines market. The BioAgriculture segment grew at a rate of 153.85 percent, driven by the presence of two Bt-cotton companies, Mahyco-Monsanto and Rasi Seeds, followed by the BioServices segment with a growth of 54.55 percent. The BioIndustry segment also registered a strong growth rate of 35.45 percent.