The president of the United States, Joe Biden, will sign an executive order on Monday to promote the use of biotechnology in order to strengthen supply chains and avoid problems in the future.
This was anticipated by high-ranking White House officials in a call with journalists, in which they indicated that the plan contemplates investments, the amount of which they did not specify, in areas to improve the country’s competitiveness in the next decade.
“This initiative will make America more prosperous and our planet more secure,” said one of the officials.
The source gave jet fuel as an example, a field where progress is being made in innovation to reduce polluting emissions and in which alternatives are being sought through biotechnology; or the agricultural sector, with the production of biological fertilizers.
The official also cited the pharmaceutical field, where active ingredients of medicines are being manufactured through biotechnology, which also allows “not to depend on foreign suppliers or hard-to-find mining elements.”
The source specified that this initiative is intended to give US consumers access to certain products at reasonable prices, “even when there are changes in global supply chains.”
“We seek to improve food security and lead agricultural innovation, including new technologies that protect crops from pests and improve seeds and fertilizers, as well as foods that come from animal cells grown” in the laboratory, the source said.
Biden plans to speak about this initiative in a speech this Monday during a visit to Boston, Massachusetts, where he will offer details about his Administration’s plans to accelerate the fight against cancer.
And on Wednesday the White House will host a meeting on biotechnology. which will announce new investments and resources to spur biotechnological manufacturing and development.