What is the background?
Supporters say the rice variety is an inexpensive way to cure vitamin A deficiency, but a Philippine court ruling could delay its sowing in Bangladesh.
- Philippine court revoke approval of GMO rice varieties
- Golden Rice Developed to Address Vitamin A Deficiency
- Bangladesh postponed due to anti-GMO resistance
MANILA/DHAKA – A Philippine court has sided with environmentalists and banned a genetically modified (GMO) rice variety that the government hoped would help combat vitamin A deficiency, a leading cause of childhood blindness in the poor country. .
Three years ago, the rice-dependent country for the first time approved the commercial cultivation of so-called golden rice, which, unlike traditional rice varieties, produces beta-carotene within its grains. The body uses beta-carotene to produce vitamin A.
But the government’s approval was challenged by small farmers and environmentalists, and on April 17, the Court of Appeal ruled to revoke the biosafety permit for the rice variety, meaning it can no longer be grown commercially. means.
The ruling, which is based on the Law of Nature, which is essentially a constitutional right to a healthy environment, could increase resistance to golden rice in Bangladesh. There, anti-GMO activists are protesting the government’s plan to approve the use of the Golden Rice variety.
Here’s what you need to know:
What is golden rice?
In a move aimed at combating child malnutrition, the Philippine Department of Agriculture approved the commercial propagation of GMO varieties in 2021 and began distributing seeds to farmers in some parts of the Southeast Asian country.
According to the International Rice Research Institute, because it contains beta-carotene, a yellow-orange plant pigment, golden rice reduces the vitamin A intake of the poorest 40% of the population and children in other low-income countries by 2. Can Double (IRRI), an agricultural research institute based in the Philippines.
According to the World Bank, nearly 17% of Filipino children between the ages of six months and five years old suffer from vitamin A deficiency, which, in addition to childhood blindness, slows growth and fights infections. It is associated with many health problems, including decreased performance.
IRRI and the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), the government’s rice research arm, led the domestic promotion of golden rice. Golden rice gets its name from the color caused by beta-carotene, which is also found in carrots and other orange-colored fruits and vegetables.
Which other countries grow golden rice?
Research to develop golden rice began in the 1980s as part of a Rockefeller Foundation initiative involving scientists from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the University of Freiburg.
In the early 2000s, its developers donated versions of the GMO variety to poor countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Bangladesh, but strong opposition from environmental groups delayed regulatory approval.
In Bangladesh, one in five children between six months and five years old and about a quarter of pregnant women suffer from vitamin A deficiency, and the country’s rice scientists say GMO varieties are It says it is a cost-effective option for families who cannot afford carotene. rich food.
“Let’s not take away an opportunity (to reduce vitamin A deficiency) that we didn’t have before,” said Uttam Deb, an agricultural economist and associate professor at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in the US.
Golden rice has also received food safety approval in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States, and Deb said studies have shown it is “unlikely to have adverse effects on human health, the environment or the agroecosystem.” Stated.
Who is against golden rice?
In 2022, Filipino farmers and environmentalists who support organic farming sued the government, claiming that golden rice poses “irreversible damage and risks to the environment, (rice) biodiversity… and human health.” filed a petition with the Supreme Court.
The complaint was led by Masipag, a network of farmers and agroecology advocates, and environmental group Greenpeace Southeast Asia.
The petitioners argued that the government approved biosafety permits for the crops without conducting proper impact and risk assessments. They also argued that the introduction of GMO crops could cause farmers to lose their organic farming certification.
Proponents of Golden Rice have previously said the rice variety will not impact organic farming through cross-pollination.
Asked for comment, Phil Rice said only that he was still considering the impact of the April court ruling.
(Reporting by Marijo Ramos in Manila; Additional reporting by Dr. Tahamid Zami in Dhaka; Editing by Helen Popper)
