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STATE WORKING TO CREATE MALAYSIAN BIOTECH LINKS

KUALA LUMPUR - The state of California is looking to establish more working relationships with Malaysia in biotechnology, according to Dr Donald Straney, the dean of science at the California State Polytechnic University in Pomona.

"Malaysia had a wealth of natural resources which could be developed into downstream biotechnology products. The future lies in having bridges in places like Malaysia, which offers vast natural resources and potential workforce," he said at a recent seminar on biotechnology initiatives in Kuala Lumpur.
 
Straney said Malaysia was spending a lot of money on biotechnology initiatives and that much could be learnt from California's experience.
 
California has three biotechnology centers - Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego - providing biotechnology scope in pharmaceutical, instruments, medical devices and research.
 
He said biotech ventures in California mostly started from research with grants provided by the state before moving on to commercialization aided by venture capital funding. The third phase involves initial public offerings, through which initial investors could exit their investments.
 
California had 40% of the 6,250 life sciences companies, 49% of all venture capital funding, and 20% of all US life sciences patents, Straney said.
 
He said, however, the success rate from university research down to commercialisation was very small, at 4%. "This is the challenge to researchers in universities to really believe in what you do, so that others will be interested in writing a cheque for you," he added.
 
He said that even with such low success rates, the growth rates of biotechnology initiatives between 1991 and 2000 had had a tremendous net impact on California's economy. 

CALIFORNIA AVOCADO GROWERS WANT ACCESS TO MEXICO

SACRAMENTO - California avocado growers are taking the offensive in the ongoing dispute over whether their Mexican counterparts should be allowed to sell their fruit throughout the US year-round.

In a move aimed at getting the California-grown fruit sold beyond Tijuana and Mexicali - where it's been permitted since 2002 - the California Avocado Commission is considering taking the issue to a World Trade Organization dispute panel.
 
The commission - the research and lobbying arm of the industry funded by grower, packer and importer assessments - originally sought full access to Mexico in February 1999, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
 
Subsequent negotiations resulted in access being granted to Tijuana and Mexicali in October 2002.

At that time, Mexico agreed to consider expanded access, beginning with five additional Mexican states, with access contingent upon a pest risk assessment done by Mexico.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service representatives met with Mexican officials last month and reiterated that completing the risk assessment is a priority.

Taking the issue to a World Trade Organization dispute panel is likely to be a last, or next-to-last, resort.

The commission is reportedly using other methods of getting its point across, such as having its leadership meet with representatives of the Foreign Agricultural Services, another division of the US Department of Agriculture.
 
California produces about 90% percent of America's avocado crop with Mexico ranking as the world's largest avocado producer.

Mexico did not allow any US-grown avocados to be shipped across the border before 2002. Mexican avocado growers were not allowed to ship their fruit to the US before 1997, when the US government gave Mexico access to 19 states for a few months a year.

Since that time, Mexico's access to US market in 2001 expanded to 31 states. Those states are mostly in the central and northeast US.

Sales are allowed to occur between October 15 and April 15.

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