India is likely to rely a great deal on biotechnology

India is likely to rely a great deal on biotechnology in food crops to ease growing demand for food amid rising prices, even though the country has clamped a moratorium on Bt brinjal, its first genetically engineered food crop. A working group suggest for long-term solutions to high food inflation, which submitted its report to the PM on Wednesday, has said a second green revolution would not be possible without biotechnology-led breakthroughs.To solve this type of problem Biotechnology jobs should increase in India.

“A second Green Revolution focusing on the rainfed areas is possible only through a technological breakthrough in the use of bio-technology … by evolving plant varieties resistant to pest and diseases, tolerant to adverse weather conditions, better nutritional value and enhanced durability of product,”

The working group, one of the three set up by the PM to look into ways to cool prices, has advised loans for farmers at not more than 4% and called for MSP that are 50% higher than cost of cultivation. Ironically, yearly increases in MSP, or the floor price, are one of the reasons for rising food costs.

India could raise overall food production by around 36% by rising Biotechnology jobs if widespread yield gaps can be bridged, the report has said. “If we take up average yields in deficient states, we can produce an additional 80 million more tonnes of foodgrains. This is do-able,” agriculture secretary PK Basu said.

Media Misinformation Puts a Spin on the Biotech Job Market

recently in a popular annualized directory of careers that the bio pharma industry is superhot. In fact, the publication goes on to say that if you are a biologist--B.S., M.S., or Ph.D.--you will be earning a mid level salary of $93,000. According to the directory, salaries, benefits, and work hours in biology are among the best for any career choice and in any industry.

Sounds wonderful. But this isn't the biotechnology job that I've been working in for many years!

In fact, nothing about biotechnology jobs in that publication rings true. Although some senior scientists with special expertise might earn more than six figures, they are not in the majority. Perhaps the authors forgot about the many postdocs earning $30,000 and an equally large number of B.S.-level research associates running assays for $40,000 a year. And how about those Forest Service and Fisheries biologists earning $25,000 to $30,000?

Further reading only supports the conclusion that the comments about work hours appear to be pure fiction as well. This book states that biologists get high marks for quality of life because of their 45-hour workweek. (Do you know anyone in biotech who works a 45-hour workweek? Neither do I.)

Just what is going on here? Why is the biotechnology job market being presented in such glowing terms by the lay press?