Present status of biotechnology in Nepal

In recent years, there has been a growing awareness about the scope and potentiality of genetic engineering. The plant tissue cultured was started in Nepal in 1976 at the National Herbarium and plant Research Laboratory in Godawari. This laboratory basically has been doing clonol propagation of hard wood trees, horticulture crops, medicinal plants, ornamental plants and over 30 kinds of orchids. They have been involved in some anther culture as well as some karyological work.
The biggest laboratory in private sector is the Research Laboratory for Agriculture Biotechnology and Biochemistry (RLABB) which was established in 1986. Research Laboratory for Agriculture Biotechnology and Biochemistry initiated for the first time various molecular works in the field of agriculture and forestry. This lab is highly sophisticated having various biotechnological apparatus. This lab has developed many biochemical techniques to create cold tolerant rice plant, sex-determination of dioecious plant and micropropagration of many plants like pinus, Autocarpous, Rice, orchids, etc. Anther culture of rice was initiated in
Research Laboratory for Agriculture Biotechnology and Biochemistry for the first time.
Other private enterprises are Botanical Enterprise, Nepal Biotech Nursery, Himalayan Floratech, Microplant Nepal, etc. They are commercializing the tissue culture grown plants and their products.
Potato Development centre at Khumaltar has also included some tissue culture activities. This main objective of this centre is to create and multiply the virus free seeds potatoes to meet the need of farmers. They have been successful in creating potato varieties of virus.
Basic research on tissue culture is also initiated at Central Department of Botany, Kritipur mainly of medicinal activities. RECAST, Kirtipur has also the facilities available for plant tissue culture.
A new biotechnology laboratory Green Research Technology has been established with the aim of creating virus free plants of Citrus, Cardamom and potato plants using meristem culture and make them available to the Nepalese farmers.
To carryout the molecular work which includes ELISA test. Laboratory for Agriculture Biotechnology and Biochemistry, Sanepa, Potato Development Centre at NARC, Institute of Agriculture and animal Science, Rampur and Teaching Hospital are developing some basic facilities with international collabration.