PH Becomes the First Country to Approve Commercial Production of Golden Rice

On Friday, the Philippines became the first country in the world to approve the commercial production of “golden rice” — a genetically modified variety of rice. The approval of the GMO hopes to curb the increasing cases of childhood blindness and improve lives in developing countries.

According to the developers of golden rice, government regulators recently issued them with a biosafety permit that will allow farmers across the country to grow the product.

“It’s a really significant step for our project because it means that we are past this regulatory phase and golden rice will be declared as safe as ordinary rice,” explained Russel Reinke from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

Supposedly, they were planning to “take our few kilos of seed and multiply it… so it can be made more widely available” as part of their next step. IRRI has worked closely with the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute for two decades to develop this particular grain of rice.

It’s dubbed “golden rice” particularly because of its bright yellow color. What sets it apart from other varieties is that it’s enriched with beta-carotene, a precursor for vitamin A.

“The only change that we’ve made is to produce beta-carotene in the grain,” Reinke elaborated further. Ordinary rice varieties only produce beta-carotene in the plant but not in the grain itself.

“The farmers will be able to grow them in exactly the same way as ordinary varieties… it doesn’t need additional fertilizer or changes in management and it carries with it the benefit of improved nutrition.”

Vitamin A is vital for growth and development, the proper functioning of the immune system, and vision. Deficiency in vitamin A leads to close to 500,000 cases of childhood blindness each year, according to data from the World Health Organization.

In the country, IRRI has reported that 17% of children under the age of five are deficient in vitamin A. Distribution of “limited quantities” of seeds to local farmers in selected provinces is expected to begin next year.

Source: The Business Times