Focus on research and development in areas relating to marine environment including biotechnology is the key to Indian industry moving up the value chain, from being a supplier of raw materials to exporter of high end products, according to Dr.M.Sakthivel, President, Acquaculture Foundation of India. At an investors meet on the proposed Rs.60 crore Tamil Nadu Marine Biotechnology Park, he said that countries like China and Vietnam had overtaken India in the last few years.

"India has lost ground primarily due to lack of focus on research and development either in the traditional areas of marine sea foods and so also modern biotechnology. Biotechnology has implications in the pharma and food industry," Dr. Sakthivel added.

Citing an example of crustaceans, Dr. Sakthivel added that India produces over four lakh tonnes of crustaceans of which at least one lakh tonne was the outer shell which is discarded as a waste. "India exports these shell at a very low value while at the time, the shell which is rich in chitins and chitosans are source of bacteriostatic, haemostatic and nerve regenerating compounds and materials used in the manufacture of contact lens. These high value products are still to be exploited by India," he pointed out.

Human healthcare would see major development with the acknowledged success rate of finding active chemicals in marine environment being about 500 times more than in terrestrial environment. Marine invertebrates such as sponges are the source of anti-cancer, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory molecules, he added.