Agriculture, horticulture and flowering plants, high yield hybrid seeds, tissue culture propagation of plants, ornamental plants, transgenic plants, biofertilisers, biopesticides, drugs and pharmaceuticals are some of the common place applications of biotechnology that can be practiced all over India.

The immediate beneficiaries of biotechnolgy would be the rural farmers and to agriculture on the whole. With minor modifications to the micro organisms in the soil, balanced use ofchemical and biofertilisers and biological control of pests farm yield, with the existing hybrid seeds or planting materials, can easily be doubled.

Despite the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, the per hectare rice yield in India is only around 3.5 tonnes compare this with Indonesia's 6.5 tonnes of paddy, a fine example of higher yields through biotechnology-led farming.

Without uncertain and environment damaging seeds and herbicides, Indian farmers can double their food production through minor alterations of farm practices.Usage of natural or modified micro organism like green algae, usage of micro organisms for treatment of biological waste and composted fertiliser and vermiculture to produce compost are some of the biotechnological applications every farmer can resort to in his backyard for a better harvest with very little investment.

Biotechnolgy has already made inroads into the areas of energy, aquaculture, food production, animal feeds, medicine, biofuels, chemical feedstocks, singlecell protein, development of nitrogen fixing bacteria, bio-insecticides and bio-catalysts.

The Industrial and Technical Consultancy Organisation of Tamil Nadu (Itcot) has prepared detailed project reports of 10 different projects which have good potential in India as well as for exports. The projects identified are: neem-based bio-pesticides, spirulina algae, vermiculture, dyes from vegetables, fruits, natural products etc, tissue culture facility, herbal cosmetics, blue green algae- a biofertiliser, N-triacontanol- a plant growth promoter, distillery spent wash treatment through aquaculture, hydroponics or soilless cultivation and development of clinical and immunochemical kits.India produces over 4.42 lakh tonnes of neem seed from about 149.39 lakhs of trees mainly in states like Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat. But only 24 per cent of the seeds produced are collected and used for commercial applications. Companies like Spic and Parry Agro are making bio-pesticides fromthe biochemical `azadirachtin' in neem seeds.

According to VJR Asirvatham, principal vice-president of Itcot, the main author of the project reports, there is vast scope for setting up several neem-based biopesticde plants all over India. It will provide employment for many in neem cultivation, seed collection besides in production facilities and distribution channels. ``What is more important is the environment-friendly control of pests in agriculture and plantation crops with native products and wisdom'', he told The Financial Express.

Propagated by Uday Bhawalkar of Pune, vermiculture improves the soils water retention properties, destroys pathogens, encourages growth of useful micro organisms, increases plant immunity against pests, reduces soil salinity and maintains an ideal acidic alkaline balance and all these ultimately leads to higher yields at less cost and harm to environment.

Besides farming, vermiculture has a host of other applications like bio-degrading of solid and liquid wastes, sayfrom agro-processing industries. The wastes can be converted into biofertilisers. Vermiculture is extensively practiced in states like Maharashtra and Karnatka. The firms like Indo Biotech Food Ltd, use vermiculture in their farms to produce organic fruits and vegetables.

The environment consciousness has increased the demand for natural dyes and India with its multiplicity of coloured fruits and vegetables has very large potential for garnering a major share in the world market for natural products.

The global market for tissue culture is over $15 billion. A few big names like Spic, AV Thomas, Harrisons Malayalam, Hindustan Lever and several others and about 35 laboratories are already into tissue culture. Their contribution is only a small fraction of the world market and much can be done in this field, claims Asirvatham.

Biotechnolgy has already started playing a great role in the economic revolution of the country. Focusing more on its down to earth village-based applications, biotechnology isdestined to change the lives of millions in the new millennium.