Thailand lags far behind Singapore and Malaysia in biotechnology development for commercial use, which could generate a huge income for the country, a senior scientist said yesterday.

Darunee Edwards, deputy director of National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (Biotec), urged the government to invest more in bio-technology research and development to improve the country's competitiveness in agricultural and health-care industries.

State agencies and business operators seemed unaware of the benefits, he said. Modern biotechnology used living organisms, or parts of organisms, to make or modify products, improve plants or animals or to develop micro-organisms for specific uses, she said.

It was being used in the health care and agricultural industries for disease diagnosis, production of medicines, pest and disease-resistant plant varieties, and food with improved nutritional qualities.

The technology was also used widely to identify infectious diseases, such as the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

The most well-known and controversial biotechnology-derived product was genetically modified crops, including GM soybean, rice and corn.

Thailand had strong potential to become the region's leading manufacturer of biotechnology products and medical services due to its abundant biological diversity and natural resources. The country could become a leading producer and exporter of micro-organisms for food and agricultural industries.

''The major obstacle is the lack of government financial support for bio-technology research,'' Mrs Darunee said. ''Considering the poor attention the government is giving the technology, it is unlikely that Bangkok will be able to compete with Singapore and Malaysia in bio-business investment.''

It was also very likely that Vietnam would soon be more advanced in this area than Thailand, she said.

Singapore expected revenues of US$11 billion from biotechnology by 2010. Malaysia had 18 biotech firms compared to Thailand's eight.

Biotec would host a four-day international conference (BioThailand) from Nov 2. Sc ientists would discuss latest developments such as gene therapy, stem cell research, testing for avian flu and plant disease protection using micro-organisms.