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Rice Fields in Hyde
County
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Building upon the existing assets of fertile land, technical farming
practices, and agricultural resources,
North Carolina’s Northeast has a distinct
place in the world of biotechnology and biofuels development. Using the
successful model by Ventria for growing rice in the region’s blacklands
and the continued success of
Avoca, Inc., as the world’s largest
supplier of clary sage to the biochemical industry
in the US and Europe, we are developing this niche into a
long-term opportunity for plant biotechnology and biofuels development.
Our highly technical farmers and our region’s isolated croplands are an
advantage when growing high
wealth crops. This forms the foundation for recruiting companies
that want to be close to the source of the crops used in the pharma and
nutraceutical industries.
Through a regional development grant from the
North
Carolina Biotechnology Center, North Carolina's Northeast is working
with the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) to document region's
infrastructure to support biotechnology development in Northeast North
Carolina, it is imperative that we look at our regional resources, such
as the Vernon James Center near Plymouth, the Eastern North Carolina
Biotechnology Center, and others to nurture new opportunities in
biotechnology/life sciences. Focusing on development of biotechnology
and biofuels opportunities and research can provide a firm foundation to
advance this business cluster.
North Carolina's Northeast Commission is coordinating meetings with
regional scientists, educators, and industry to enhance the future of
plant biotechnology research and commercialization in the region.
This group is now formalized as the North Carolina's Northeast Alliance
for Agricultural Biotechnology (NC-NAAB). Click here for an
NC-NAAB
brochure.
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