Welcome to Tigray Biotechnology Center PLC
It is truly lucid that our government has given measurable and practical attention to harvest the economical yield of Biotechnology. Moreover, national biotechnology road map has been developed by policy makers to strategically utilize this technology with apex momentum. Our national biotechnology road map narrates Agricultural Biotechnology, Industrial Biotechnology, Environmental Biotechnology and Health Biotechnology; and agricultural biotechnology is prioritized first as being our national urgency.
Biotechnology holds a great deal of promise to enhance our lives and planet. With a world population expected to reach nine billion by 2050, biotechnology offers new potential for sustainable living, healthy eating and battling diseases while reducing our footprint on the planet. Our company believes the tools of biotechnology can help generate sustainable, innovative, market-driven solutions to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges.
Biotechnology has been frequently referred as the technology of 21st century along with Information Technology. This has been mainly due to the developments in life sciences during the last three decades of the last century which saw the concurrent developments of a number of novel and new techniques in biological sciences that not only advanced research tremendously but also carried with them the promise of improvement in life standards of mankind. Furthermore the science and technology have been co-related in such a way that the technology is always highly dependent upon its understanding of scientific principles thereby constantly pushing the knowledge base forward concomitantly producing new grounds for technological breakthroughs.
The promise of biotechnology can be realized by utilizing the information and products generated through research on genomics and epigenetics to increase the productivity of crops through enhanced resistance to biotic and abiotic stress factors and improved nutritional quality. Therefore, the main role of the new launched Tigray Biotechnology Center Plc coincides with the above stated promise of biotechnology that is ensuring sustained food production security and agro-processing sectors (Agricultural Biotechnology); besides the company is designed to induce practical valuable diversified R and D works of Biotechnology.
Tigray Biotechnology Center PLC (Former Mekelle Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory) was established in August 2006G.C under the umbrella of Dejena endowment within Alaje Forest Development and Utilization PLC (AFDU) as part of a strategy to transform agricultural production systems and attain food security through the production of high value planting material. It was through REST (Relief Society of Tigray) that the new idea of breakthrough technology to transform plantlets production from conventional propagation method to modern Micropropagation technique arose in the Southern part of Tigray.
At the initial the capacity of the Mekelle Plant Tissue Culture laboratory was 3-5 million plantlets per year.
With an expansion made in 2012 G.C, now the company owns one of the biggest commercial tissue culture laboratories in Ethiopia and Africa with annual production capacity of 40 million plantlets with a state of the art laboratory in an area of 4.5 hectare with:-
Our country is working relentlessly to attain a Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) in which is equipped with a wider and even more ambitious Growth and Transformation Plan i.e. GTP-II and III. This plan seeks to enable our country an economic transformation to middle income status by 2025; and highly promised the role of Biotechnology, Agritech, agro processing and manufacturing sectors will boom as per the growth demand of our country
VISION, MISSION, OPPORTUNITIES, VALUES
Vision
MISSION
Opportunities
- The attention given by the government towards Biotechnology and Agro-processing is highly encouraging.
- Good image created in the country in the area of biotechnology through the remarkable achievement in the production of unthinkable quantity and quality of sugarcane plantlets.
- The demand for Biotechnology products in East Africa and beyond in the international market is promising.
Core Values
- TBC will develop products derived from biotechnology that are at least as safe for people and the environment as their conventionally produced (or existing) counterparts using the best available scientific knowledge.
- TBC will strive to protect and conserve natural resource biodiversity.
- TBC will engage stakeholders and consider their diverse viewpoints in its decision-making process for products derived from biotechnology.
- TBC is committed to consumer access to information in support of knowledgeable choices; and committed to sustainable
- TBC will develop products derived from biotechnology that enhance sustainability.
- TBC is committed to consumer access to information in support of knowledgeable choices; and committed to sustainable.
- TBC will endeavor to be socially and culturally responsible as it shares knowledge and appropriate technology in developing economies to help improve food security, renewable energy and protection to sustainably improve the quality of life.
Company Structure
Our History
2016
Biotechnology is an essential tool to feed an estimated 113 million Ethiopian people by the year 2025 in an environmentally sound, sustainable, and affordable way.
Biotechnology holds a great deal of promise to enhance our lives and planet. With a world population expected to reach nine billion by 2050 and, biotechnology offers new potential for sustainable living, healthy eating and battling diseases while reducing our footprint on the planet. Our company believes the tools of biotechnology can help generate sustainable, innovative, market-driven solutions to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges.Our national biotechnology road map narrates Agricultural Biotechnology, Industrial Biotechnology, Environmental Biotechnology and Health Biotechnology; and agricultural biotechnology is prioritized first as being our national urgency. For a country like Ethiopia, biotechnology is a powerful enabling technology that can revolutionize agriculture, healthcare, industrial processing and environmental sustainability.
The promise of biotechnology can be realized by utilizing the information and products generated through research on genomics and epigenetics to increase the productivity of crops through enhanced resistance to biotic and abiotic stress factors and improved nutritional quality. Hence, this is the true era of our company to travel again through the stairs of modern biotechnology. And it is reestablished as Tigray Biotechnology Center Plc with wider scope of dynamic strategic objectives in order to harvest diversified tools of biotechnology. That is ensuring sustained food production security and agro-processing sectors (Green Biotechnology); besides the company is designed to induce practical valuable diversified R and D works of Biotechnology
2015
12.5 Million Plantlets
2014
25 Million Plantlets-One of the highest from the face of our Planet
2013
17.4 Million Plantlets
2012
352,000.00 Plantlets for Trial and Research Works
2011
Ethiopia’s Sugar Industry dates back to more than five decades and is one of the oldest industrial establishments. Nevertheless, the country is facing acute shortage of sugar. In an effort to alleviate the shortage and becoming self-sufficient; and to increase the current production, Ethiopia’s Sugar Corporation has been establishing more industries in Kuraz, Belese, Wolquit and Kessem.Such an aggressive move to develop the sector requires an introduction ofan industrial way of producing sugarcane plantlets known as Micropropagation. Accordingly, Ethiopia’s Sugar Corporation and Mekelle Institute of Technology entered into an agreement on March 2011G.C.
Hence, an expansion of New Large Scale Commercial Tissue culture laboratory was established. The laboratory is one of the largest tissue culture laboratory in Africa (greater than 40milion plantlets per annum) with a state of the art laboratory in an area of 7000m2 (16 growth rooms with a capacity of accommodating close to 700,000 plantlets as well as 16 Transfer rooms, each having five double seat laminar flow, 80 Laminar Air Flow Chambers), Ten modern greenhouses with a capacity of 9 to 10 million plantlets at a time at 1.7h land, water treatment plant with treatment capacity of 20M3/hour and equipped these facilities with required equipment’s, machineries, tools and consumables. As per the annual delivery demand of the Ethiopian Sugar corporation, MIT has been supplied the depicted sugarcane plantlets to different sites of sugar factories.
2006
Tigray Biotechnology Center PLC (Former Mekelle Plant Tissue Culture) was established in August 2006G.C under the umbrella of Dejena endowment within Alaje Forest Development and Utilization PLC (AFDU) as part of a strategy to transform agricultural production systems and attain food security through the production of high value planting materials.It was through REST (Relief Society of Tigray) that the new idea of breakthrough technology to transform production of plantletsfrom conventional propagation method to modern Micropropagation techniquewas brought into reality. The main role of the laboratory was to develop protocols for the different varieties of crops. And commercialization of the technology to supply good quality plants to the farmers in Tigray region and in other parts of Ethiopia.
The small scale laboratory had an annual production capacity of 2-4 million plantlets. It is equipped with 6 Laminar Air Flow chambers, 8 growth racks and two autoclaves. The laboratory initially had 3 staffs with a manager. As the work volume increased, some more employees were required and the manpower at full capacity reached 40 people as permanent employees and over 150 people as daily laborers. Initially hand to hand training, in media preparation, propagation, and growth rooms was given by a Foreign Technical Adviser. After the training, the workers enriched their knowledge and skill through reading and practicing, which led to the development of many protocols.
Banana was the first crop to start with followed by citrus root stock, apple root stock, sweet potato, potato, fig, Eucalyptus, rose root stock and many more. After few months of production, thousands of plants were delivered to Tigray region, Ahmara, Addis Ababa and to different parts of Ethiopia.
Meanwhile, SNV Netherlands Development Organization had a demand for pineapple plantlets in hundred thousands, this was the potential customer that had real demand. Then protocol for Pineapple was developed from Initiation till secondary hardening. Accordingly, over 750,000 pineapples plants were successfully delivered to Sidama Zone. The secondary acclimatization was under our supervision and successful too. The plantlets had good performance and high yield. This gave the Company confidence to produce in large numbers and think for further expansion.At the same time, the company was in search for new markets and customers. As theresult, of different market research conducted, the protocols for Sugarcane plants were developed. Then, Hibre Sugar industry, Ethiopian Sugar Corporation, NGO’s and Governmental institutions were contacted. This was the turning point for the company.