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.
