Why is it in the News?

A court in the Philippines recently revoked biosafety permits for commercial propagation of genetically modified golden rice and Bt eggplant.

What is Golden Rice?

• In the late 1990s, German plant scientists Ingo Potrykus and Peter Beyer developed Golden Rice to combat vitamin A deficiency, a leading cause of infant blindness and increased mortality from infectious diseases like measles.
• Golden Rice is a type of rice that produces beta-carotene, giving it a golden colour, unlike white rice, which lacks these nutrients.
  • Vitamin A deficiencies are prevalent in countries where rice is a staple food.
• The widespread use of Golden Rice is expected to improve health by reducing rates of preventable blindness and mortality, especially among children and pregnant women.

Golden Rice and Vitamin A Deficiency:

• Potrykus and Beyer added two genes to white rice in 2004, creating Golden Rice, which they donated to impoverished nations as a solution to vitamin A deficiency (VAD).
• Governments approve Golden Rice cultivation only after ensuring it is safe for the environment, humans, and animals.
• Golden Rice can replace the daily intake of white rice without adverse effects, providing a natural source of vitamin A and beta-carotene to combat VAD.

Efficacy of Golden Rice:

• Adequate vitamin A levels in mothers support vision, immune health, and fetal development through the placenta and breastfeeding.
• Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of childhood blindness and weakens the body’s ability to fight common diseases, leading to high mortality rates among young children and their mothers.
  • Natural sources of vitamin A include animal products like milk, butter, cheese, eggs, and liver, while plants do not contain vitamin A directly, they contain beta-carotene, which the body can convert into vitamin A.
• White rice is rich in carbohydrates but lacks beta-carotene, an antioxidant and precursor to vitamin A.
• Golden Rice, containing beta-carotene, can help prevent millions of deaths and alleviate suffering from VAD and micronutrient malnutrition in impoverished regions.

Additionally, expanding the cultivation of genetically modified, bio-fortified crops like Golden Rice could further address vitamin deficiencies in developing countries.