“Golden Rice” is applied science solving an international nutritional problem. In PH, it remains controversial because of protestations as well as civil suits from scientists and activists. Is it in good sense?
It’s Asian. In fact, “Bangladesh Could Be The First To Cultivate Golden Rice, Genetically Altered To Fight Blindness[1]” (Erik Storkstad, 20 November 2019, Science). India has much earlier been seeking to cultivate the crop (Priya Abraham, 13 November 2016, “Nobel Laureate Calls For Golden Rice In India[2]”).
Already, it’s “Golden Rice Season In Vietnam[3]” (lower image from Photos.com). The Vietnamese must know something Filipinos don’t!
Based in the Philippines and with joint funding from the Bill Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and US Agency for International Development, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) had developed “Golden Rice” in order “to complement existing interventions to address vitamin A deficiency (VAD). VAD is a serious public health problem affecting millions of children and pregnant women globally[4].”
(“Choose Your Rice” image from IRRI website).
In the Philippines, some groups have submitted a joint “Petition For Review” or “an administrative appeal (on) the Biosafety Permits issued by the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) for ‘Golden Rice’ and ‘BT Eggplant.’” The specific objections are that, “without proper study,” the BPI had issued: (1) Biosafety Permit for field trial and later (2) for direct use, food, and feed for those genetically modified crops.
On the point of “biosafety,” the petitioners argue that the introduced genes may transfer to other crops and result in unnatural crops or products.
I say if that happens, we can always replace the unnaturally modified crops with the genes the scientific world is protecting in gene/cryo banks.
The PH petitioners submitted a Letter-Opposition on 08 August 2019 to the Department of Health (DoH) “calling for the stoppage of the field trials of Golden Rice because the latest study from India confirms that not only is the beta-carotene content in Golden Rice negligible, but degrades so quickly that farmers need to ‘vacuum-pack’ the unmilled rice to extend the beta-carotene shelf life.”
I say you can improve the shelf life with improved technology.
On the point of nutrition-based health, I say the home consumption of Golden Rice can be regulated by the families themselves with the help of local representatives of the DoH.
About Golden Rice degrading rapidly during storage and cooking – that can be remedied by improved postharvest keeping and nutrition-aware cooking.
About Golden Rice being expensive – If that is so, all you have to do is let it be, because Golden Rice becomes the ultimate argument against itself!
“Golden Rice is intended to be used in combination with existing approaches to overcome (vitamin A deficiency), including eating foods that are naturally high in vitamin A or beta-carotene, eating foods fortified with vitamin A, taking vitamin A supplements, and optimal breastfeeding practices[5] (undated, “Golden Rice,” IRRI.org).
My new blog’s name is “Tradition, Science & Sense….. TRASS/Trass.” Trass says Golden Rice is science trying to make saner sense of the world!@517
[1]https://www.science.org/news/2019/11/bangladesh-could-be-first-cultivate-golden-rice-genetically-altered-fight-blindness
[2]https://www.telegraphindia.com/odisha/nobel-laureate-calls-for-golden-rice-in-india/cid/1475374
[3]https://photos.com/featured/golden-rice-season-in-vietnam-nng-thanh-ton--500px.html?product=duvet-cover
[4]https://www.irri.org/golden-rice
[5]https://www.irri.org/golden-rice
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