The Philippines on Friday became the primary country on the earth to approve business production of genetically modified “golden rice.”
Crops similar to rice, wheat and soybeans, in addition to fruit and veggies, have a naturally occurring “glitch” in the way in which they photosynthesize that causes the plants to make use of up energy and resources, drastically reducing productivity.
The biosecurity approval from government regulators paves the way in which for farmers across the country to grow rice fortified with beta-carotene, a vitamin A precursor, to make it more nutritious, developers say.
Russell Reinke of the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) said: “This is a very significant step for our project since it means we are actually past the regulatory phase and golden rice will probably be regarded as secure as regular rice.” .
The next step was “to take a number of kilograms of seeds and multiply them… to make them more widely available,” he said.
IRRI spent twenty years working with the Department of Agriculture and the Philippine Rice Research Institute to develop golden rice, so named for its shiny yellow hue.
On Friday, officials said it was the primary genetically modified rice approved for business breeding in South and Southeast Asia.
Golden rice has faced strong resistance from environmental groups against genetically altered food crops. At least one test site within the Philippines has been attacked by activists.
Environmental groups similar to Greenpeace have praised the potential for a broad GMO ban combined with a more fully formed policy banning the widely used herbicide glyphosate.
Despite clearing the ultimate regulatory hurdle, rice remains to be a great distance from appearing in food bowls.
Reinke said “limited quantities” of seeds could start being delivered to Filipino farmers in select provinces next yr.
Regular rice, a staple of a whole lot of thousands and thousands of individuals, especially in Asia, produces beta-carotene within the plant, however it isn’t present in the grain.
“The only change we have made is the production of beta-carotene in the grain,” Reinke said.
“Farmers will be able to grow them in exactly the same way as regular varieties… it requires no additional fertilizer or management changes and has the benefit of improved nutrition.”
Vitamin A is essential for correct growth and development, proper functioning of the immune system and eyesight.
Data from the World Health Organization show that vitamin A deficiency causes as much as 500,000 cases of blindness in children annually, and half of them die inside 12 months of losing their sight.
According to IRRI, nearly 17 percent of youngsters under five within the Philippines are vitamin A deficient.
“We have always said that we would provide 30-50 percent of the estimated average (vitamin A) requirement, and when we add that to what is in the diet, we will push an entire cohort of the population from deficiency to sufficiency,” Reinke said.
Golden rice has been reviewed and passed by food safety regulators in Australia, the United States and Canada, but has not been approved for business production in these countries. It can also be under review by regulatory authorities in Bangladesh.
(With the participation of the agency)
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