September 06, 2004
Source: The Financial Express
Avesthagen in expansion mode; plans public offer

By MAHALAKSHMI, Hyderabad

Avestha Gengraine Technologies Pvt Ltd is taking another step forward for expansion, including an IPO. The company has booked about nine acres at the Shapoorji & Pallonji Biotech Park in Andhra Pradesh. Towards this, the company has proposed to sign an agreement with the SP Biotech Park in the next few days

"At the park we plan to develop global products, which will address the needs of the healthcare industry. This would include nutritional bioactives and agri-products which are expected to fight drought, salinity or oxidative stress for better yield advantage," Avesthagen Group spokesman told The Financial Express.

The company already has a spin-off subsidiary, Avesthagen Quality Agriculture Services Pvt Ltd (AQUAS), at the ICRISAT campus in Patancheru, near Hyderabad, for quality testing using DNA-based technologies. The company hopes to become a one-stop-labelling shop for inter-specific testing in food certification process through DNA fingerprinting, seed purity testing, tissue culture, transformation etc.
AQUAS has already signed a licensing agreement with the US-based Genetic-ID to use GMO testing technology in India and Bangladesh. The GMO testing technology has already been accredited by the UK accreditation services and it is also being sought by the Agricultural and Processed Foods Export Development Authority (APEDA) and the Deparment of Biotechnology (DBT).

Meanwhile, the company recently signed an agreement with the Raisio Group of Finland, giving the exclusive marketing rights (EMRs) for Benecol. Benecol is a food ingredient in yoghurt, pasta, cereal bars and mayonnaise-based salads. Besides this, “We are engaged in dialogue with food and dairy product companies in the country which are developing new products or line extensions incorporating nutraceuticals,” he said.

To support its exponential growth in business and infrastructure, the company is talking to venture capitalists. As of now, the company has received about $6 million.

“We are looking at raising between $10-15 million from equity investors from within and outside India,” he said, adding that the company is planning an IPO, probably within next 18 months

July 21, 2004
Source: The Financial Express

Avesthagen Inks Pact To Hawk Benecol In India

OUR CORPORATE BUREAU
Wednesday, July 21, 2004 at 2325 hours IST

BANGALORE, JULY 20: Bangalore-based biotech company Avesthagen has signed an agreement with the Raisio Group of Finland for exclusive marketing rights to Raisio’s top-selling product ‘Benecol’ in India.

Benecol, a plant-derived product has been shown to lower cholesterol levels. It is widely used as a food ingredient in products such as yoghurt, yoghurt drinks, other milk-based drinks, buttermilk, margarine, pasta, cereal bars, ready-to-eat casseroles, mayonnaise-based salads, cheese and cheese spreads in the US and the EU. Benecol will be marketed by AQUAS, the services and sales arm of Avesthagen. "Avesthagen is rolling out its functional food programme with the marketing of Benecol. We are in talks with several potential customers to make Benecol available in India. Our target market is the large number of food and dairy companies that are developing new products or line extensions that incorporate nutraceuticals of proven value", said Mr Tehmaas Gorimaar, senior vice-president AQUAS.

"It is part of an overall strategy of the company to introduce a line of scientifically proven nutritional bioactives that are effective in addressing health-related problems and can be added to food and beverages. Avesthagen has a strong pipeline of products in progressive stages of research and development to support its plans for tapping the potential of the functional foods market," said Intekhab Mufti, VP, Business Development, Natural Products, Avesthagen

April 21, 2004
Source: The Economic Times

‘GMO testing key to boosting India’s food exporters’

Prabha Jagannathan

NEW DELHI: An international market analyst pegged the potential for transgenics in India alone at $400 million. With an opening like that, it is hardly surprising that Genetically Modified Organisms testing is being pitched as the next sunrise industry to watch.

The industry has come more sharply into focus with the EU adopting new norms for GM traceability in imports. This requires that all foods with more than 0.9 per cent GMOs should be labelled.

A Greenpeace survey released recently revealed that more Chinese consumers would choose non-GM foods over GM foods once labelling based on traceability became more stringent through mandatory laws in that country.

With the US taking EU ban on biotech foods to WTO, traceability testing -- virtually non-existent in China as of now thanks to low-technology -- has become more crucial in the industry’s GM discourse here.

While the ban is necessary to protect consumer health and sharpen awareness it is expected to impact directly on the value of exports in the future, particularly in GM sensitive regions such as the EU, Japan and Korea, Australia, NZ and even West Asia.

A small nation such as Sri Lanka has also begun aligning its quality standards including traceability tests to that of the EU. Given the increasing strictures worldwide on GMO imports, India is busy positioning itself as the largest exporter of non-GMO foods, something that definitely would require a key role for GMO testing.

Already now, there are indications that the government is keen to place the onus for traceability testing in industry more heavily on the private sector in the future. And that is where a pioneer agro-biotech and life sciences company such as Avesthagen Quality Agricultural Services (AQUAS) comes into the picture.

The Bangalore-based outfit, with its state-of-the-art traceability testing labs for foods in the ICRISAT campus in Hyderabad, has virtually wrangled itself a first mover advantage enhanced further with its cutting edge Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology which, infact, is capable of tracing GMO to the 0.1% level.

Speaking with ET, Manan Bhatt, VP (Business Development) emphasises “Strictly speaking, virtually nothing is 100 per cent GMO free. But world over, various stakeholders in agri-business --consumers, governments, traders and manufacturers--are increasingly becoming aware and anxious of GM crops, food and fiber.”

“This is especially true for exporters targeting advanced economies so that the consumer there can be offered the choice. And that’s where our services come in. Needless to state, firms with non-GMO certified products will have the competitive edge, percieved value addition and greater accep-tance,” he added.

Bhatt dismisses questions on the international acceptability of its GMO tracing tests, pointing to AQUAS’ clinching alliance for lab testing with world traceability testing major Genetic ID. The firm has won accreditation on all of its analytical methods through the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), recognised throughout Europe and widely on five continents.

AQUAS is now the exclusive licence holder of Genetic ID for Bangladesh and India, following all of its protocols, procedures and instructions. Now, the company has also begun providing Total Plant Certification ID, which is sample-free, besides moving into Seed Purity Testing including guaranteeing genetic purity through DNA fingerprinting.

With 150 lakh quintals of seed requirement estimated for the 10th plan period, and only 15 per cent of certified seeds being distributed from the organised private and public sector, that would be crucial. Currently, it’s cachet of clients include some heavyweights in food product exports -- which is where the company is currently concentrating -- include HLL, ITC, Ruchi (the soya major) and Satnam Over-seas (top rung Basmati exporters).

In fact, the country’s top soya producers association, SOPA, invited AQUAS to the country’s soya capital Indore in September for a detailed briefing session on GMO testing. Food export majors are not the only clients for AQUAS, with even smaller sized firms such as guargum exporters Vikas, based in north-west Rajasthan, using AQUAS services.

According to Bhatt, intended clients for the industry would include bakery and confectionery products (coffee), cattle feed supplements, tobacco, dry fruits and nuts,  spices and derivatives, edible oil and allied products,  seeds, flavours and, wheat, pulses and other food grains.

GM traceability testing firms can take the initiative in helping food exporters here deal with trade challenges related to meeting regulations, delivering product to consumer on contract specifications involving threshold tolerances and upapproved varieties, optimising samples and testing programmes to achieve cost and efficiency operations, resolving conflicts and providing a competitive advantage to manufacturers.

March 01, 2004
Source: The Economic Times

Avesthagen to raise $ 1.6 million for AQUAS

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

HYDERABAD: Avesthagen Gengraine Technologies is planning to raise resources to the tune of $1.6 million for its joint venture company Aquas, which is into labelling of GM foods. Dr Villoo Morawala-Patell, founder and CEO, Avesthagen, said: “Attempts are on to raise $1.6 million. We are in talks with a cross-section of VCs for garnering funds.”

Avesthagen had earlier raised funds from ICICI Ventures, Tata Industries, and Global Trust Bank, to the tune of $5 million in two phases. The company would be signing up a firm agreement with Icrisat this month. The activities of Aqua involve GMO testing of food and food products, GMO certification, microbial and chemical testing of food products.

December 29, 2003
Source: The Financial Express

EXPORTERS CAUTIOUS OVER WORRIES ON GM FOOD.
Food Industry To Maintain Image Of Being Supplier Of Non-GM Foods
 

ASHOK B SHARMA

NEW DELHI, DEC 28: The buoyant processed food industry in the country has decided to maintain its image of a supplier of non-genetically modified (GM) foods to the European Union, Japan and Korea and other principal export destinations.

With the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety now in force and the consumers in the European Union expressing concerns about the safety of genetically modified (GM) foods, the domestic food processing industry has geared up to face this challenge.

The 59th AGM of the All India Food Processors' Association (AIFPA) held in Delhi last week deliberated on various strategies for boosting exports including those relating to the compliance with the importing countries sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) norms and also for exporting certified non-GM foods.

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety empowers importing countries to reject export consignments if they contain traces of GM foods hazardous to health and environment.

Food processing is a key industrial sector for India. It accounts for a gross output of Rs 1.12 trillion, representing 6.3 per cent of GDP, involves 6 per cent of the total industrial investment, 13 per cent of exports and employs 18 per cent of the country's industrial labour force.

The processed food industry has, therefore, urged the government to effectively implement the mandatory inspection at the points of entry so as to check the entry of illegal and unapproved GM foods and food ingredients into the country. However, the process of inspection should be scientific and not time-consuming.

Speaking to FE, the AIFPA executive director, KP Sareen said, "We have urged the government to facilitate us in becoming export competitive. There is a growing global market for Indian foods. We need to establish ourselves as a credible player both in terms of quality and certification."

Mr Manan Bhatt, vice president (business development) of Avesthagen Quality Agriculture Services (AQUAS) said "there is every possibility of GM food and food ingredients entering the country as the government does not have sophisticated testing facilities. Therefore, there are chances that these clandestinely imported GM food ingredients may be mixed up with processed foods meant for exports." Mr Bhatt said that AQUAS which has set up a sophisticated laboratory in the ICRISAT campus in Patancheru in Andhra Pradesh is offering is services to exporters of processed foods. AQUAS certification about the food consignments containing no traces of GM foods have helped export houses like HLL, ITC, Ruchi group, Satnam Overseas, Vikas, TastyBytes and Raptakos. AQUAS is also a member of AIFPA.

He said that the UK based global leader in GMO identification, Genetic-ID as entered into a global laboratory alliance with AQUAS and the AQUAS certification, therefore, is accepted as valid in the European Union, Korea and Japan

• MoU with ICRISAT
• AQUAS Press release

November 19, 2003
Source: Hindustan Times
GMO certification important for food exporters

'WITH MORE and more countries, especially the European countries, imposing restrictions on import of genetically modified organism (GMO) food items, the relevance of GMO testing and certification will play a crucial role in India's food exporters in the coming years. At present, AQUAS is the only company in the country that provides testing and certification facilities to the food exporters. Aquas' vice president Manan Bhat was recently in the city to participate in the SOPA convention. He spoke to Ramesh Shankar about the pioneering company in the country.

Q. What is GMO testing all about?

It is all about detecting the content of GMOs in a particular food item. Genetically modified organisms (GMO) are the result of new methods of genetic engineering applied to plant life. GMO foods are accepted by some countries and rejected by others. So, GMO testing is very important food exporters as without GMO testing and certification, food items will not be allowed to be imported in those countries have been imposed.

Q. Which countries have imposed restrictions on GMO foods and why?

The European Union countries, Japan, Korea, Sri Lanka etc are some of the countries where such restrictions have been imposed and the number would increase in the coming years. World over, various stakeholders in agrobusiness like consumers, government, traders and manufacturers are increasingly becoming aware and anxious of genetically modified crops, foods and fibre. They are all anxious about its effect on the human body.

Q. Something about your fledging company?

Our company. Avesthagen Quality Agriculture Services (AQUAS) is the first company in the country in the field of GMO testing. It is a biotech research driven company based in Bangalore that was established by Dr. Villoo Morawala Patell in 1997. We have entered into an alliance with global leader in GMO identification - Genetic-ID. So, we are now in a position to provide the agriculture and food processing industry internationally accepted GMO testing services. In fact, we assist the food processing companies to certify their products as GMO-free through out testing and we provide non-GMO certificate called CERT-ID.

Q. What is the role of your company in food exports?

Our company has an important role to play in the food processing industry in the country as without GMO testing and certification it will be well nigh impossible to export food items to a large number of countries where restrictions have been imposed on GMO food items. And the number of such countries is fast increasing. Our non-GMO certified products will have competitive edge over others and the first mover advantage and greater acceptance among the importing countries.

Q. What is the procedure of GMO testing?

Any company can come to an agreement with our company for a GMO testing of their products, which is done in 10 days time including the transition period. We never disclose the company's name and the result of the testing is given in a sealed cover to the company officials of the company only.

Q. Who are your intended clients?

Our clients include bakery and confectionary products, cattle feed supplements, dry fruits and nuts, dyes and colour additives, edible oil and allied products, flavours and aromatics, food processing plants, fresh, dried, preserved and dehydrated fruits and vegetables, liquors, mineral water and beverages, meat and poultry food, coffee, tobacco, spices and derivatives, seeds, rice, wheat, pulses and food grains, milk and dairy products, etc.

Q. How accurate is the GMO testing by your company?

We use the PCR polymerase chain reaction method in our GMO testing which is the ultimate testing method applied in order to meet customer contracts during food exports. PCR is the gold standard for GMO testing. GMO tests based on PCR are used worldwide to verify contracts and regulatory compliance. PCR detects genetically modified DNA directly and is highly sensitive, at least one hundred times more sensitive than other methods. AQUAS offers PCR based tests for all GMOs. In addition, PCR can quantify GMO content more accurately and it works with a much wider range on processe.

November 08, 2003
Source: The Economic Times
Mentor Angle Makes State Govt Relocate In Icrisat Campus from Genome Valley

Avesthagen may be Agribiotech Park's USP

M.S. Anand, Hyderabad 7 November

Early this year the state government had planned Agribiotech Parks at the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat) with an incubation fund Rs 30 crore. Though modalities are still being worked out, the new testing facility set up by Avestha Gengraine Technologies (Avesthagen) at Icrisat could now become the USP for Agribiotech to attract other biotech players.

"Since Icrisat would act as a mentor for Agribiotech players, we have decided to set up Agribiotech Park in the premises of Icrisat itself. Avesthagen's new facility would definitely become an added attraction to the proposed Agribiotech Park," government officials told ET.

Avesthagen has tied up with Icrisat for promoting agricultural biotechnology and has set up its facility here to offer GM testing and quality assurance services for both domestic and international markets.

"The company's Agribiotech services too will move into the same premises as per the agreement signed by us in May this year," officials at Icrisat said. Avesthagen is currently headquartered in Bangalore's International Tech Park. The Agribiotech Park was earlier expected to come at Genome Valley for which the Andhra Pradesh government had earmarked 600 square kilometer at Turkapally near Hyderabad. ICICI Knowledge Park and Shapoorji Pallonji Biotech Park have come at Genome Valley, which also houses premier institutes of the likes of IICT, CCMB, and NIN.

"The Shapoorji Pallonji Biotech Park is focused more on pharma biotechnology. Our thrust would be on agricultural biotechnology," officials said. Icrisat is in the process of setting up a technology innovation centre, which would work out the Agribiotech park as well as in floating an incubation fund.

India, by virtue of being the second largest food producer after China, offers a huge market for biotechnology products, especially Agribiotech products. This, combined with excellent scientific infrastructure in agriculture, rich bio-diversity, and skilled, low cost human-power, make India a force to reckon with, the officials said.

September 10, 2003
Source: The Economic Times
Bangalore-based Avestha Gengraine gets US patents for multiple use technology

NEW DELHI: India can now boast of a genetically modified (GM) technology even the big daddies in the US don’t have. A top Indian biotech company has invented a unique way to GM everything from basmati to bhindi for breeding new hybrids, minus the labour, cost and time this usually takes. What’s more, the US has granted a patent for this truly transgenic, cutting-edge technology last week. Patent rights are also on their way in Europe, China, Africa, Australia, Canada, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines.

Avestha Gengraine Technologies, the Bangalore-based biotech major, has modified genes in basmati to make breeding of new hybrids easier. Both the transgenic plant and the process of its gene manipulation have been patented by Avesthagen. The company has funding from ICICI, Global Trust Bank and Tata Industries.

Transgenic rice sterile lines, like Avesthagen’s new Basmati-370, spell profits because seed companies can licence them to create new hybrids cheaper and faster. Basmati-370 itself is commercially significant because it is hugely popular with foreign consumers for its aroma and cooking qualities.

Avesthagen says seeds based on its technology should be available within a year, albeit bearing the ‘GM’ tag. However, as only plant genes are being used, the company does not expect farmer or consumer resistance. "We have already received offers for a licensing contract from several leading seed companies. They are excited because using it would lead to substantial saving in time and cost. We are trying to work out the best deal now," said a source within the company.

"The technology works with all seeds - rice, wheat, cotton, maize, oil crops like mustard and sunflower, vegetables like okra, brinjals and tomatoes, flowers. In other words, every plant which has a commercial hybrid seed available in the market," the source added.The technology uses RNA editing as a molecular tool. "The invention relates to RNA editing for expressing the unedited nad9 gene, thereby disenabling ATP production in the mitochondria of plant, resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction in the plant, thus leading to male sterility," researchers said.

Here’s how it works. Every hybrid needs a male sterile line, which is crossed with a female line to get a new seed. But the process is beset with several problems. There are very few sterile lines available world-wide for every variety. So to get a basmati hybrid, for instance, scientists would only use IRRI’s sterile lines.

Even the undesirable characteristics of the male parent show up in the progeny. In basmati, attributes like aroma and elongation become diluted in hybrids.

Thirdly, the whole process is laborious, time-consuming and costly. Hence, companies only produce hybrids with a commercial future.

Avesthagen’s technology short-circuits the entire process. It can produce sterility in the existing seed itself and thus saves back-crossing. When you cross it with the female line, there is no danger of dilution of attributes. Moreover, it is faster.

Hybrids have had an enormous impact on the country’s rice productivity. Basmati hybrids, for instance, have already given a new lease of life to this traditional rice because they are high-yielding and disease-resistant. However, they fall short when it comes to traditional attributes like aroma. Using a transgenic Basmati-370 to create new seeds could overcome these problems.
 

August 27, 2003
Source: The Financial Express
Avestha Sets Up Food, Seed Testing Arm

HYDERABAD: Following its success in the agro-research and bioinformatics services arena, Avestha Gengraine Technologies Pvt Ltd has established a 100 per cent subsidiary, Avesthagen Quality Agriculture Services (AQUAS) Pvt Ltd, to provide food and seed purity testing services at Patancheru in Hyderabad. The move comes in the wake of the Andhra Pradesh government and the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat) inviting Avestha Gengraine to set up a high-end laboratory in Hyderabad.

The proposed unit is also expected to become one of the Agricultural and Processed Foods Export Development Authority (APEDA)-recognised laboratories. "AQUAS will help provide high throughput services in the food and agro-research areas based on the new gene technologies. Besides this, the company also aims to develop improved crop varieties and translate them into definite intellectual property rights (IPRs)," AQUAS chief operating officer Koen Wentink told eFE.

In line with Icrisat's plans for more private-public partnerships in the biotechnology area, Avesthagen signed an agreement with Icrisat recently for joint collaborative programmes in this sector besides locating the laboratory at the Icrisat campus. However, the total investment for setting up the subsidiary has not been disclosed as the company is still raising the required funds.

AQUAS has already started detecting genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food products. The company is offering certification services to some of the major food exporters, trading houses local and multinational food processing and seed companies, Mr Wentink said. The company has over 20 leading companies as its clientele, he added.

Incidentally, Avesthagen already has an exclusive tie-up with US-based Genetic-ID - which is the global leader in GMO detection and testing - for testing food, animal feed and meat species in India and Bangladesh. The services offered include GMO testing, aflatoxin testing, microbial testing, pesticide residue testing, water testing, antibiotic residue testing and seed purity testing.

August 14, 2003
Source: The Hindu
Avesthagen ties up with Icrisat

BANGALORE: Avestha Gengraine Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (Avesthagen), the Bangalore based firm specializing in genetics-related testing of crops and seeds, has entered into a tie-up with the International Crop Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad. The Andhra Pradesh Government will extend infrastructure support for this venture.

An independent entity called AQUAS (Avesthagen Quality Agriculture Services) has been created for the purpose with a focused plan, the Avesthagen's Founder and CEO, Villoo Morawala Patell, told The Hindu.

The Hyderabad facility had started functioning with four technical experts sent from Bangalore. AQUAS would be fully operational by January next, Ms. Patell said.

August 14, 2003
Source: Business Standard
Bio-tech firm ties up with Icrisat

Biotechnology healthcare firm Avesthagen on Wednesday said it has tied-up with the International Crop Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) to provide advanced food and water testing services based on new age gene technologies. As part of this effort, the Bangalore based firm has set-up Avesthagen Quality Agricultural Services Pvt. Ltd. (AQUAS) at the ICRISAT companies in Hyderabad.

August 13, 2003
Source: The Hindu Business Line
Avesthagen ties up with Icrisat

NEW DELHI: Bangalore-based healthcare company, Avesthagen today announced a strategic tie up with Andhra Pradesh Government and ICRISAT to establish AQUAS for providing cutting edge technologies to emerging food, water and seed testing sectors.

AQUAS (Avesthagen Quality Agriculture Services), a strategic alliance with International Crop Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is aimed at developing improved crop varieties, advanced foods and water testing services based on new gene technologies, a company release said here. - PTI

August 13, 2003
Source: The Economic Times
Avesthagen enters into JV with ICRISAT

Bangalore-based biotech firm Avesthagen has tied-up with state government of Andhra Pradesh and the international Crop Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) to provide technological support to the emerging food, water and seed-testing sectors. The tie-up will focus on providing testing services based on gene technologies. The tie-up with Icrisat is also aimed at developing improved crop varieties and to translate into definite intellectual property rights (IPRs) for both the parties.

March 28, 2002
Source: The Hindu Business Line
Avestha plans AP facility

THE Bangalore-based Avestha Gengraine Technologies Pvt Ltd, a biotech and bioinformatics company, is planning to open a new facility in Andhra Pradesh in the near future.
"I would be interested in setting up something here in 4 to 5 months down the line", the company's Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Villoo Morawala Patell, told Business Line.
She said she wanted to open a branch or a product here to support the ICICI Knowledge Park established by the Andhra Pradesh Government. The park needed a platform of the kind that Avestha had set up in Bangalore.
Establishment of Avestha, claimed to be the first genomic company in the country, involved an investment of $ 3 million. Of this, $ 2 million was funded through venture capital. ICICI Venture Capital, Tata Industries and Global Trust Bank were the main investors in the company.
According to Dr Patell, the future of preventive medicine would be one where food genomes together with human genomes would make nutraceuticals, functional foods. Plant derived medicine and functional foods, nutraceuticals may improve public relations for transgenic crop technology. The products can be marketed as a fresh or processed food, extract or purified substance or as a medicine.
Principally an agro company, she said Avestha was moving into plant prototypes. The company was into discovery of nutraceuticals and plant-based drugs.

January 24, 2002
Source: Business Standard
Avestha in pact with Genetic ID for GMO testing

August 30, 2001
Source: The Economics Times
Avesthagen and Genetic ID in Global Lab Alliances

The Bangalore-based Life science platform Avestha Gengraine Technologies (AGT) has announced an exclusive tie-up with the US-based Genetic Id Inc, thus becoming the first Indian Company to offer globally approved testing and certification for Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO's).

Speaking on the significant tie-up, Dr. Sarasija Padmanabhan, spokesperson for AGT said, This endeavour of AGT marks yet another pioneering step for the Company in its vision to become an integrated solution provider to this nascent albeit high potential."

Dr. Bill Thompson, Vice-President, Genetic ID maintained, " Genetic ID, as the global leader in GMO testing and non-GMO certification, is happy to have reached agreement with a very professional and reputable company such as AGT as our licensee in India. We feel that providing the highest quality, international recognized GMO testing methods in India is very important at this time.

We feel that on the basis of Genetic ID and AGT providing GMO testing services to the Indian food and feed companies, export opportunities will be greatly enhanced throughout the world where GMO labeling laws are being enforced. We see this service as a critical way to greatly increase Indian Agricultural and food exports in a timely and significant way."

Analysts consider this as an important dimension as India's presence in the Global Biotechnology arena gains momentum, which would necessarily require testing and certification of GMO. AGT, through this exclusive tie-up, will be able to provide the agriculture and food industry with internationally accepted certification, and unleashing the latent potential of this industry, analyst concurs.

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