GeneReach Biotechnology Corp (瑞基海洋) on Wednesday announced it had secured a contract worth up to US$500,000 with the Saudi Arabian Ministry of the Environment, Water and Agriculture, which would use the company’s nucleic acid test products for border enforcement.
GeneReach, which focuses on livestock testing and pathogen detection, sold 29 handheld diagnostics devices, dubbed POCKIT Centra, as well as mini centrifuges and reagents to detect avian influenza, to the ministry, the company said in a statement.
The ministry plans to use the devices at entry points nationwide as part of its efforts to prevent the spread of avian influenza viruses, the company said.
As Saudi Arabia borders Jordan, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen, it is seeking to bolster its disease detection, the company said.
The deal marks the second time that the ministry has purchased such products from GeneReach after it bought three POCKIT Centras at the end of last year, GeneReach said, adding that the ministry gave positive feedback on the products.
POCKIT Centra, which has robotic arms, provides a fully automated molecular detection platform by integrating nucleic acid extraction and preprogrammed protocols, the company said.
The device also offers an option for on-site testing to avoid lengthy waits for lab results, with each test taking 85 minutes, it said.
GeneReach said it hopes its business with the ministry, its first with a Saudi Arabian government body, leads to more opportunities with the kingdom’s other agencies.
Revenue generated from Saudi Arabia has grown from nothing to 5.62 percent of overall revenue last year after the firm set up a partnership with a local distributor, it said.
The company also hopes to expand the scope of its business by marketing its products to more countries in the Middle East, it said.
This year the company has seen its business continue to advance thanks to growing sales of detection machines and reagents for detection of swine fever and avian influenza, it said.
GeneReach has also signed government contracts with Vietnam and the Philippines, which mainly use its aquaculture testing products, it said.
GeneReach reported cumulative revenue of NT$215.66 million (US$6.95 million) for the first eight month of this year, an 87 percent increase year-on-year, while net profit jumped 92 percent annually to NT$43.93 million for the first half of the year, company data showed.
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