Intertek opens agri-tech lab in Hyd

Hyderabad : UK-based Intertek, a quality assurance provider to industries worldwide, has launched its agri-tech laboratory in the city. The purpose-built facility will perform high-tech DNA analyses the agri-biotech, plant seeds breeding, and plant seeds production industries.

“The launch of the agri-tech laboratory in India is a notable achievement for our agri-tech global product line, and exemplary of Intertek’s expansion into providing innovative quality assurance services all across the agricultural supply chain from this key region in the world,” said Valentin Rossel, Global Business Line Leader - Agricultural Services, Intertek.

The laboratory in Hyderabad already has an ISO17025 accredited capacity for wet-chemistry and micro-biology testing services. Together with the new DNA testing capabilities, synergies will be provided for new and existing customers and will also allow Intertek Agri Services to expand in multiple testing segments in India, including crop testing, pathogen testing, livestock and commodity testing, the company said.

Within each segment, DNA-based tests are provided to customers for their breeding of new or improved traits (marker assisted breeding) and/or control of existing traits (quality control), it added. According to the company, the export of plant material from India is currently restricted, regulated and time consuming. India is ranked among the top six countries in the $45 billion commercial world seed market.

“The agri-tech laboratory equipped with state-of-the-art high throughput equipment in Hyderabad now enables customers to access market-leading technology services consistent with Intertek ScanBi Diagnostics in Sweden, which is a certified laboratory for several major seed companies,” it added.