Overview
The South Asia Biosafety Program (SABP) is dedicated to assisting India and Bangladesh in further strengthening their institutional governance of biotechnology. SABP provides technical assistance to the biosafety risk assessment and research communities and further supports government efforts to implement functional and scientifically sound regulatory processes for agricultural biotechnology.
The program is managed by the Agriculture & Food Systems Institute and supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
What We Are Doing
SABP works with its in-country partners to:
- Identify and respond to technical training needs for GE food, feed, and environmental safety assessment.
- Develop a network of trained, authoritative local experts to communicate about the science of agricultural biotechnology and its biosafety to interested stakeholders.
- Facilitate systems for permitting the safe conduct of experimental field trials of new crops developed using biotechnology so that scientists and farmers can evaluate them.

Current Work

Research to Support Biosafety in Bangladesh
The Biosafety Research in Bangladesh Grants Program recognizes the need for biosafety research as part of a broader effort to support science-based decision-making and policy development. This program funds research that builds local knowledge and establishes baseline data needed to support comparative assessments for agricultural biotechnology.
2019 Grant Recipients
- Vegetable Pest Management Practices in Bangladesh and Their Impacts on the Environment, Bangladesh Agricultural University (Project Lead: Muhammad Shahidul Haque, Ph.D.)
- Assessment of Weed Management Practices in Rice Cultivation in Bangladesh, National Institute of Biotechnology (Project Lead: Abdun Noor Muhammad Iftekhar Alam, Ph.D.)
- Use and Handling Practices of Pesticides Used in the Cultivation of High Yielding Potato Varieties in Bangladesh, University of Dhaka (Project Lead: Mohammad Zabed Hossain, Ph.D.)
Grant recipients were announced at the 7th Annual South Asia Biosafety Conference.
2020 Grant Recipients
- Study on Fertilizer Management and Agricultural Practices of Potato Cultivation in Bangladesh, Advanced Seed Research & Biotech Centre (Project Lead: Abu Shamim Mohammad Nahiyan, Ph.D.)
- Insect Pest Management Practicies and Biosafety Status of Country Bean (Lablab purpureus L.) in Bangladesh, Sylhet Agricultural University (Project Lead: Md. Fuad Mondal, Ph.D.)

Training Institutional Biosafety Officers in India
India has identified mitigation of the effects of climate change on its agricultural productivity as a national priority. Presently, over 30 Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutes have active research programs developing and evaluating genetically engineered (GE) plants to improve resilience to biotic and abiotic stressors.
Because ICAR is committed to compliance with biosafety regulations regarding GE organisms, it partnered with SABP on a program with ten ICAR institutions that are actively working to develop new GE plants.
Two individuals were nominated by each of the ICAR institutions to become Institutional Biosafety Officers. They are working together to develop the resources needed for a functioning, fit-for purpose institutional biosafety program. This includes creating standard operating procedures, staff training materials, and processes for biosafety audits of research facilities.

Building a Network of Biosafety Practitioners in Bangladesh
Training Institutional Biosafety Officers
Institutional Biosafety Officers need to ensure that biosafety-related activities at their home institutions are successfully implemented in accordance with government-mandated regulations and guidance. Against the backdrop of continued developments in both research and regulation of agricultural biotechnology in Bangladesh, SABP convenes training activities across the country, establishing a network of practitioners who exchange experiences and knowledge about best practices for ensuring biosafety during the research and development of GE plants. This program is modeled after a similar effort SABP launched with the Indian Council for Agricultural Research.
Supporting Biosafety Compliance for Biotechnology Researchers
Biotechnology is used as a tool in basic plant biology research, as well as in the development of new plant varieties needed to address pressing agricultural challenges. In Bangladesh, this kind of work is conducted by national research organizations, public and private universities, and private sector laboratories, all of which must comply with biosafety regulations. SABP has initiated a seminar series with universities across the country to ensure that biotechnology researchers are familiar with Bangladesh’s biosafety requirements. This effort has been accompanied by the preparation of plain language materials that help researchers, students, and university administrators better understand how the biosafety regulatory system works and the expectations for the conduct of biotechnology research.
Our Successes
The South Asia Biosafety Program (SABP) provided technical and financial support to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Agriculture Center (SAC) to help facilitate the SAARC Regional Expert Consultation Meeting on the Progress and Prospects of Agricultural Biotechnology and Biosafety, held in Dhaka, Bangladesh on June 18-20, 2019.
The consultation was organized to:
- Share information about the current status of agricultural biotechnology and biosafety regulation in the region
- Discuss regional harmonization
- Advance recommendations to the SAARC Secretariat
Some of the consensus recommendations arising from the meeting include:
- SAARC countries share policy goals and principles related to biotechnology and biosafety, and the SAARC Secretariat and SAARC member countries should actively pursue harmonization efforts in this area.
- SAARC and other national and regional organizations should continue to support consultations and dialogues related to regional harmonization for biotechnology and biosafety.
- Information sharing mechanisms, including the establishment and maintenance of web portals to facilitate information exchange between SAARC countries, should be prioritized.
- SAARC should explore opportunities to provide a platform for hosting and sharing data collected and associated with regulatory applications to SAARC member countries, including possibly a database or other data repository.
- SAARC should continue to support the development of regional standards related to biosafety through the South Asia Regional Standards Organization (SARSO).
- SAARC, through the SAC, should support the preparation of tools to enable biosafety assessments.
These recommendations were published by the SAARC Agriculture Center as a standalone book, for which Dr. Bhavneet Bajaj and Dr. Aparna Islam served as editors.
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Project Name:
Consultation Meeting on the Progress & Prospects for Agricultural Biotechnology & Biosafety in South Asia
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Years:
2019
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Funding:
USAID
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Parties:
Biosafety regulators, risk assessors, and scientists
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Countries:
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka
Discover
Publications
Biosafety Regulation and Processes in Bangladesh: A Guide for Researchers in Agricultural Biotechnology
Biosafety Resource Book Series | November 19, 2020
Part of the South Asia Biosafety Program’s capacity development interventions, this publication aims to inform researchers about the prevailing regulatory administrative system of Bangladesh and outlines the regulatory processes functioning at different stages of research and development of GE crops.
Agricultural Biotechnology and Biosafety in South Asia: Progress and Prospects
SAARC Agriculture Centre | September 30, 2019
This book contains the papers and proceedings of the SAARC Regional Consultative Meeting on the Progress and Prospects of Agricultural Biotechnology and Biosafety in South Asia, which took place on June 18- 20, 2019 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
An Analysis of the Development and Regulation of Agricultural Biotechnology in Pakistan
December 14, 2012
The purpose of this analysis is to present the context for biosafety regulation in Pakistan, including the investment and infrastructure currently dedicated to advanced agricultural technologies, and to review the legal and regulatory framework present in the country.
Events
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December 9, 2020
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September 22, 2020-October 20, 2020
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September 23, 2020
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June 15, 2020-August 15, 2020
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July 9, 2020-July 17, 2020
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June 23, 2020-June 24, 2020
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May 12, 2020
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March 23, 2020-March 24, 2020
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March 18, 2020-March 20, 2020
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February 20, 2020
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February 12, 2020-February 13, 2020
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November 13, 2019-November 14, 2019
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November 11, 2019-November 13, 2019
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October 8, 2019-October 9, 2019
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September 14, 2019-September 16, 2019
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July 10, 2019-July 11, 2019
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June 17, 2019-June 21, 2019
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June 11, 2019-June 12, 2019
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May 19, 2019-May 24, 2019
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April 8, 2019-April 10, 2019
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April 4, 2019-April 5, 2019
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March 31, 2019
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March 12, 2019-March 13, 2019
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March 4, 2019-March 5, 2019
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March 5, 2019-March 7, 2019
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January 22, 2019
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November 1, 2018-November 2, 2018
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October 23, 2018-October 27, 2018
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September 15, 2018-September 17, 2018
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July 23, 2018-July 25, 2018
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June 26, 2018-June 27, 2018
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June 25, 2018-June 28, 2018
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June 25, 2018-June 26, 2018
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June 12, 2018-June 15, 2018
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April 5, 2018
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April 3, 2018-April 4, 2018
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February 21, 2018-February 22, 2018
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February 19, 2018-February 22, 2018
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February 14, 2018
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February 3, 2018-February 4, 2018
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November 15, 2017-November 16, 2017
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November 6, 2017-November 10, 2017
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October 18, 2017-October 20, 2017
World Food Prize
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October 11, 2017-October 13, 2017
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September 11, 2017-September 13, 2017
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August 18, 2017-August 19, 2017
APEC High Level Policy Dialogue on Agricultural Biotechnology Workshop
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August 1, 2017-August 3, 2017
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June 26, 2017-June 28, 2017
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June 20, 2017-June 22, 2017
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June 4, 2017-June 8, 2017
ISBGMO14
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April 22, 2017-April 27, 2017
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April 21, 2017
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March 30, 2017-March 31, 2017
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March 27, 2017-March 29, 2017
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January 23, 2017
Agriculture & Food Systems Institute Scientific Session 2017
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December 15, 2016-December 16, 2016
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November 10, 2016
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October 24, 2016-October 28, 2016
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October 24, 2016-October 25, 2016
CQuest: Charting a Course for Climate Research in Agriculture
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October 23, 2016-October 26, 2016
American Association of Cereal Chemists International Annual Meeting
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October 16, 2016-October 19, 2016
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September 19, 2016-September 21, 2016
South Asia Biosafety Conference
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September 21, 2016-September 23, 2016
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September 15, 2016-September 16, 2016
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August 17, 2016-August 19, 2016
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July 1, 2016
Climate Change, Nutrition & Health: Building Collaborative Structures
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May 25, 2016-May 27, 2016
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May 19, 2016-May 21, 2016
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May 18, 2016
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May 17, 2016-May 18, 2016
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May 16, 2016-May 18, 2016
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April 19, 2016-April 21, 2016
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April 13, 2016-April 15, 2016
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April 2, 2016-April 6, 2016
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February 25, 2016
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February 22, 2016-February 23, 2016
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February 18, 2016
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January 25, 2016
Agriculture & Food Systems Institute Scientific Session
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December 15, 2015
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December 10, 2015
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December 9, 2015
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November 19, 2015
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October 11, 2015-October 14, 2015
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September 19, 2015-September 20, 2015
South Asia Biosafety Conference
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July 30, 2015-July 31, 2015
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July 19, 2015-July 25, 2015
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June 21, 2015-June 26, 2015
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May 28, 2015
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May 25, 2015-May 26, 2015
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May 11, 2015-May 15, 2015
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April 27, 2015-April 30, 2015
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April 19, 2015-April 21, 2015
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April 15, 2015-April 17, 2015
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February 25, 2015-February 28, 2015
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February 17, 2015
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November 9, 2014-November 13, 2014
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September 14, 2014
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September 15, 2014-September 19, 2014
Phase II: Workshop on the Safety Assessment of Food Derived from Genetically Engineered Plants
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September 15, 2014-September 16, 2014
South Asia Biosafety Conference
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September 11, 2014-September 12, 2014
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June 23, 2014-June 27, 2014
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March 20, 2014-March 21, 2014
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November 15, 2013-November 16, 2013
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October 9, 2013
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September 29, 2013-October 2, 2013
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September 18, 2013-September 20, 2013
South Asia Biosafety Conference
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June 11, 2013-June 13, 2013
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June 11, 2013
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May 16, 2013-May 17, 2013
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January 10, 2013-January 11, 2013
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December 11, 2012-December 12, 2012
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June 21, 2012-June 22, 2012
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April 15, 2012-April 17, 2012
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November 17, 2011-November 18, 2011
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March 2, 2011-March 3, 2011
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August 16, 2010-August 17, 2010
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August 17, 2009-August 18, 2009
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August 12, 2009-August 15, 2009