Posted November 24, 2014
North Carolina launched an economic development platform branding the state as the “AgBio[sphere], the complete ecosystem for ag biotechnology,” according to a Southeast Farm Press article available here. WRAL Tech Wire also published an article available here.
The initiative is intended to “educate prospective agricultural biotechnology ventures about North Carolina’s ag biotech assets while streamlining market entry for research and business interests.”
“North Carolina’s agricultural roots, diverse assets and industry advantages position this state as the best global location for any ag biotech venture,” said Dr. Richard Linton, dean of North Carolina State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “This new engagement platform further solidifies our global leadership and commitment to supporting and serving organizations looking for a new home. It’s a great way to welcome folks to North Carolina—the complete ecosystem for ag biotechnology,” Linton added.
AgBio[sphere] will provide a branded identity to North Carolina’s “complete value package for all facets of the industry,” including academic research, workforce development, business support programs, a strong agricultural sector and a huge $59 billion-a-year biotech industry involving some 650 companies with more than 80 firms being ag biotech, according to WRAL Tech Wire.
Steve Troxler, commissioner of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, stated that the state’s $78 billion economy-leading ag industry has grown from its “hardscrabble subsistence plots of a century ago” with the help of research and technology.
“Technology and education will drive us again,” said Troxler, “and thanks to the Biotechnology Center and all these partnerships represented here today, there’s nothing else like this anywhere.” He predicted the state’s increasingly technology-driven ag economy “is not that far away from reaching $100 billion a year.”
For more information on biotechnology, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
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