Mumbai: The government has envisaged Rs1,000 crore investment for the development of agri-biotech sector through public-private partnership, a top official of the country''s premier agricultural institute said.

"The plan, however, is in its conceptual stages," S A Patil, director, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, said at the annual biotechnology fair in Bangalore.

Like industrial and medical biotechnology, development of agri-biotech also would involve huge investments. This can be better achieved through private-public partnership, he said after inaugurating the agri-biotech day at BIO 2007.

"All the related ministries, including information technology, biotechnology, irrigation and rural development have to get involved for development of agri-biotech, where agricultural products are linked to need," he said.

He said a second green revolution was being contemplated through development of dry land farming technology.

"Karnataka is better as far as dry land development is concerned since watershed programmes are being taken up on a very large-scale here," he said, adding, "it can be really successful with participation of farmers."

Patil also said organic farming would play a major role in Karnataka''s agri-biotech sector as it would bring down prices of agricultural products.

Biotechnology research and related business ventures, Patil said, have failed to match India''s growth in other sectors, resulting in a steady fall in agricultural production since its peak during the 1970s and 1980s.

Patil, former vice-chancellor of the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Dharwad, recalled that the UAS was the first to have a centre dedicated to bio-agricultural research, which resulted in the first transgenic cotton variety being introduced in India. The IARI was also involved in these efforts.

"The new cotton breed has yielded up to 270 lakh bales of cotton within a year, though cultivated on less land overall. India will soon be the second largest cotton grower in the world. The IARI is now engaged in negotiations with Indian and overseas companies for seeds developed by it and collaborative research with Cornel University in the US," Patil said.

He suggested the setting up of a venture capital fund that could provide capital for small firms engaged in bio-agricultural research, and earn back the funding through royalties. Only such efforts could bridge the increasing gap between the growth in population and total crop production, he said.