DA official seeking more incentives

for biotechnologists

By Jennifer Ng

BIOTECHNOLOGISTS who have developed high-yielding and pest-resistant crops should be given more incentives, according to Dr. Alicia Ilaga, director of the Department of Agriculture’s Biotech Program Office.

Ilaga said biotechnologists deserve to be rewarded for their scientific work. One incentive that can encourage more scientists to go into biotechnology is to provide them support to help them commercialize their discoveries.

The DA official made the statement following the release of a study conducted by the Philippine Rice Research Institute, in cooperation with the Sikap/Strife Foundation.

The study revealed that a majority of the respondents believe that research and development results should be commercialized and be made public.

Respondents said commercializing biotech crops will solve the country’s problems on food insufficiency, unemployment and poverty, and would provide faster dissemination of products/technologies to the public.

They, however, expressed concerns over the protection of their intellectual property rights if new inventions or discoveries are commercialized.

A study earlier conducted by the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines disclosed that the lack of government support is driving the best and brightest scientists to go abroad.

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DA official seeking more incentives for biotechnologists

BIOTECHNOLOGISTS who have developed high-yielding and pest-resistant crops should be given more incentives, according to Dr. Alicia Ilaga, director of the Department of Agriculture’s Biotech Program Office.

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