Harare — The Minister of Science and Technology Development, Dr Olivia Muchena, has targeted between 0,5 percent and 1 percent of the fiscal 2008 National Budget for research, development and biotechnology projects.

Speaking at the commissioning of the biodiesel plant in Mt Hampden last week, Dr Muchena said the Ministry of Finance and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe had done a wonderful job by extending funds for the development of the plant, one of the only five in the world. What was now needed were the resources to run the plant, she said, and this could start by setting up the necessary groundwork in the spheres of biotechnology, viewed by many as the future of fuels. "The speed with which this plant was built demonstrates what science and technology can achieve if adequately resourced.

"Would it be presumptuous of me to assume that the 2008 Budget will see the implementation of the policy of allocating 1 percent of the GDP to research and development and 0,5 percent to biotechnology development" Minister Muchena told Herald Business yesterday that this allocation would be in addition to the regular budgetary allotment. She pointed out that this was in line with policy measures agreed upon in 2002 for research and development and biotechnology The ministry has a five-year strategic plan of action that covers energy, agriculture as some of the priority areas "and, of course, biotechnology and information technology".

"From time immemorial, it has been proven that through the appropriate application of technologies, overall economic productivity and the standards of living for humanity can be significantly uplifted," she explained. "It is against this background that my ministry is working tirelessly to expand the frontiers of our scientific and technological know-how."

The Research Council of Zimbabwe is also undertaking research in the priority areas. In the 2007 Budget, Science and Technology Development was awarded an estimated $50 billion with an additional $176 billion in the September Supplementary Budget. The expenditure covers employment costs, goods and services, maintenance, current transfers. Programmes had originally been allotted $180 million with an additional $2 billion in September. Capital expenditure consumes two-thirds of the Budget allocation. Consultations for the 2008 Budget have begun, with a three-day pre-Budget seminar attended by Cabinet ministers, captains of industry and other stakeholders having been held in Bulawayo at the beginning of November.

Biotechnology along with information communication technologies are now being viewed as the major drivers of economic growth going forward with several countries having adopted such policies, or are at different stages of implementing them.