ASIA-PACIFIC BI TECHNEWS and research and educational institutions. While most of the A round of trade talks relating to international web sites are from Beijing and more developed provinces technological exchanges, overseas investment, introduction like Jiangsu and Guangdong, Tibet and Inner Mongolia have of foreign capital, cooperation with medium and small-sized also participated in the Internet fanfare. enterprises in the European Union has been scheduled. About 20 seminars on hi-tech products, personnel exchanges over the Internet, protection of intellectual property UN Expects World Rice Trade have also been scheduled.

to Fall WHAT WE HEAR The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has projected that world rice trade Dr. Ingo Potrykus Wins will fall 8 percent from 25.1 million tons in 1999 to 23 million tons in 2000. Kumho Science International The fall is mainly attributed to the Asian market, where Award in Plant Molecular leading importers are anticipated to buy less rice this year because of the recovery in production in 1999 and expected Biology/Biotechnology higher output of rice this year. Asian countries are expected to import 14 percent less rice, with major importers like Dr. Ingo Potrykus, Professor of Indonesia and Bangladesh cutting their imports by about 30 Plant Sciences, Institutes of Plant percent each. Sciences at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), is the recipient China, however, is expected to increase their imports, of this year’s Kumho Science made up mainly of Thai high-quality rice, by 50 percent in International Award in Plant Molecular the year 2000. Biology and Biotechnology. He is the Lower rice prices in 1999 have prompted some countries first recipient of the newly established to implement policies, e.g. cut production, in order to protect biannual award selected by the the domestic market, further contributing to the fall in world International Society for Plant Molecular Biology Award rice trade. Prices are expected to continue to fall, at least for Committee and sponsored by Kumho Group and Kumho the first half of 2000, because of lower import demand and Cultural Foundation. bumper harvests in most producing countries in 1999. Dr. Potrykus contributes to food security in The FAO expects overall rice output to increase in 2000. developing countries by developing and applying genetic Its provisional estimate for global paddy output in 1999/2000 engineering technology to staple crops such as rice is 593 million tons, an increase of 1.9 percent. This is because (Oryza sativa), wheat (Triticum aestivum), sorghum some countries reduced their plantings in 1999 due to lower (Sorghum bicolor), and cassava (Manihot esculenta). rice prices, but they are expected to up their production this He also looks into the areas of disease and pest year. resistance, improving food quality, yield, exploitation of natural resources, and biosafety. Indonesia, the world’s largest rice importer, has targeted a 2 percent rise in production in 2000/2001 to 51 million The award carries a prize money of US$30 000. tons. On the other hand, China, the world’s largest rice The award will be presented to Dr. Potrykus at a producer, expects its production to fall 2 percent to 193.3 ceremony to be held on 25 May 2000, at Kumho Life million tons in 2000/2001. and Environmental Science Laboratory and Kumho Cultural Foundation/Kumho Group in Korea. He will deliver a lecture on the “golden rice”, a rice culture he ANNOUNCEMENT developed that is enriched with provitamin A (carotenoids) and iron. The award winning work was China to Hold Hi-Tech Fair published in a recent issue of Nature. Asia Pacific Biotech News would like to congratulate in May Dr. Potrykus. The 3rd Session of China (Beijing) International Hi-Tech Industries Week will be held in Beijing on 8–12 May 2000. The event will be co-hosted by the Ministry of Science “Dr. Ingo Potrykus developed ‘golden rice’, and Technology, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic a rice culture he developed that is enriched Cooperation, Ministry of Education, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Beijing municipal with provitamin A (carotenoids) and iron.” government.

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