Bangladesh is all set to become the first country in the world to approve the planting of golden rice, a genetically modified (GM) crop that could help prevent childhood blindness and deaths in the developing world.
Ever since golden rice first made headlines nearly 20 years ago, it has been a flashpoint in debates over GM crops. Advocates touted it as an example of their potential benefit to humanity, while opponents criticise it as a risky approach to improve health in the developing world.
Johnathan Napier, a plant biotechnologist at Rothamsted Research in Harpenden in the UK, was quoted by ‘Science Mag’ recently to say: "It is really important to say we got this over the line."
He says approval would show that agricultural biotechnology can be successfully developed by publicly funded research centres for the public good. The first harvest isn't expected until at least 2021 and more research will be needed to show the extent of real-world benefits from golden rice.
"It would be great to see it approved. It's been a long time coming," he added.
Golden rice was developed in the late 1990s by German plant scientists Ingo Potrykus and Peter Beyer to combat Vitamin A deficiency, the leading cause of childhood blindness. Low levels of Vitamin A also contribute to deaths from infectious diseases such as measles.
Spinach, sweet potato, and other vegetables supply ample amounts of the vitamin, but in some countries, particularly those where rice is a major part of the diet, vitamin A deficiency is still widespread; in Bangladesh it affects about 21 percent of children.
The golden rice under review in Bangladesh was created at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baños, Philippines. Researchers bred the beta-carotene genes into a rice variety named Dhan 29, which is grown widely during the dry season in Bangladesh and contributes about 14 percent of the national harvest.
In tests of Dhan 29 golden rice at multiple locations, researchers at the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) in Gazipur found no new farming challenges and no significant differences in quality— except for the presence of Vitamin A.