The government yesterday declared a National Biotechnology Policy in order to keep pace with the fast advancing field of modern biotechnology and achieve world class competence in the fields of research and innovation.

A meting of the National Taskforce on Biotechnology of Bangladesh (NTFBB) with Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in the chair gave final approval to the policy placed by the Ministry of Science, Information and Communication Technology.

"The approval of National Biotechnology Policy will be considered as a milestone in our effort to promote highest level of science and technology in this country," said Science and ICT Minister Abdul Moyeen Khan.

"The policy will help increase agriculture productivity and food security as well contribute to poverty alleviation and ensuring higher quality of life," he told The Daily Star after the meeting.

He said the policy will open up a new window of opportunity for the resource- starved country like Bangladesh.

Under the new policy one can easily go into researches involving genetic engineering and open up new vista of innovation and development involving living cells, be it human being, animal or plant, he added.

The policy also emphasised protecting indigenous community knowledge, collective innovations and community rights.

For ensuring those, the Community Knowledge Protection Act will be enacted to give guidelines, where it is necessary, to innovations of any form that have used natural and biological resources.

Immediate action programmes will also be taken for the development of biotechnology in the country in various sectors like agriculture, health, industry and environment. The programmes will reflect the urgent national needs and requirements in terms of funding manpower and equipment.

An international biotechnology advisory committee will be formed with internationally recognised experts in different areas of biotechnology to advise the government on priority areas of research and development.

Besides, the science and ICT ministry will develop a priority plan in different areas of biotechnology to keep pace with the fast advancing field of biotechnology and genetic engineering for poverty alleviation, sustainable development improvement of quality of life and biodiversity conservation.

The new policy will encourage the universities to introduce and strengthen biotechnology and genetic engineering at the undergraduate and post graduate levels. At the same time the biotechnological courses will be introduced at the secondary and higher secondary levels through modification of existing course curricula on biology.

Young graduates will be encouraged for undertaking higher academic studies in advanced universities abroad.

The policy draft says in biotechnology research, problem arises concerning the protection of intellectual property for innovations in this field beyond legal and ethical questions. In view of the special quality of living organisms the scope of patents has to be clearly defined to find balance between innovation and public interest.

Under the policy, legal measures will be taken to achieve a balanced system for protecting the interest of the innovation without compromising public interest.