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In Vitro to open new biotech facility at AP

M. Somasekhar

HYDERABAD, July 22

EVEN the Karnataka Government and consultants project Bangalore as the best place for starting bio-technology ventures, a biotech major from the Garden city is close to finalising its expansion project in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh (AP).

In Vitro International is firming up plans to set up a modern, fully export-oriented tissue culture unit in Hindupur district of AP, according to Dr Jitendra Prakash, its founder- President.

The company had identified the `Industrial Growth Centre' in Hindupur as the base as it offered basic facilities and locational advantages. It was just 90 km from Bangalore and roughly 45 km from the proposed international airport in Devanahalli, Dr Prak ash told Business Line.

``We have already discussed with the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) and the response is very encouraging,'' he said. The idea was to take about 5 acres of land for the project.

An initial investment of about Rs 2 crore would be made to operationalise the unit, which would have the latest technology features to grow tissue culture plants of international quality, he said.

There was no dearth of funds and the company would invest from its internal accruals. In the last few years, the closely-held company had been growing at 300 per cent annually, Dr Prakash claimed.

In Vitro International, started in 1995, ``exported about 200,000 tissue culture plants on average every week'', Dr Prakash said. The major importers of these plants were New Zealand, the USA and Holland and the average turnover from exports was of the o rder of Rs 50 lakhs every fortnight, he claimed.

In Vitro was also into custom-designed and contract-based production of the tissue culture plants ranging from ornamental flowers to fruits and spices, he said.

In its efforts to reach the message of bio-technology to the poor, another enterprise of Dr Prakash, the Biotechnology and Eco-Development Research Foundation, was promoting `mobile' tissue culture labs that reached different villages and offered advise and quality interventions as seed and technology.