House Committee on Ways and Means Chairman and Albay Second District Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda lauded the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI) for granting the biosafety permit for the commercial propagation of Golden Rice in the Philippines, calling it a “potential game changer for the rice industry in the country.”
“Rice accounts for one-fifth of the basket of goods for the poor. And agriculture in general accounts for 22.5 percent of the labor force, even though it merely contributes 8 percent to GDP. So, anything that raises value for the sector, such as golden rice, will make a difference,” Salceda said.
“This is a milestone. This biosafety approval of Golden Rice is the first authorization for commercial propagation of genetically engineered rice in South and Southeast Asia,” the lawmaker added.
Salceda, author of the Agricultural Biosafety Act (House Bill 9265) said that the approval of the program went through rigorous biosafety processes.
The permit, issued on July 21, 2021, allows DA’s Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) to proceed with the production of Golden Rice on a commercial scale for human consumption.
Golden Rice is a new type of rice that contains beta carotene (provitamin A, a plant pigment that the body converts into vitamin A as needed). This compound is what gives this grain its yellow-orange or golden color, hence its name.
It was invented by Professor Ingo Potrykus, then of the Institute for Plant Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and Professor Peter Beyer of the University of Freiburg, Germany, and was initially developed through genetic engineering by adding genes from maize and a common soil microorganism that together produce the beta carotene in the grain.
Salceda added Golden Rice is a product of partnership among a diverse range of global and national collaborators who came together with the common goal of addressing an important public health problem through agricultural innovation.
“The uniqueness of Golden Rice lies in its role of bridging the agriculture and nutrition sectors to come up with innovative products that address significant public health concerns in a sustainable manner,” he said.
According to Salceda, extensive research revealed Golden Rice could help address vitamin A deficiency and battle blindness in the Philippines.
Vitamin A can be obtained from fruits, vegetables, and animal food products. However, limitations in terms of accessibility, affordability, and availability of these sources remain a challenge. Lack of sufficient Vitamin A in the diet results in a condition known as vitamin A deficiency (VAD), which weakens the immune system and increases one’s vulnerability to infections and diseases; it causes blindness and results in death if left untreated.
The National Nutrition Survey conducted by the Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) in 2018 showed that VAD and other forms of micronutrient deficiencies continue to be a significant public health problem in the country where 16.9 percent of children below 5 years old and 25.8 percent among children in poorest households are affected.
Existing nutrition interventions addressing VAD and other forms of malnutrition such as food fortification, vitamin A supplementation, promotion of balanced diets and breastfeeding have already been successful. However, Filipinos, especially in rural and poor communities, have an inadequate intake of food, leaving them vulnerable to macro- and micro-nutrient deficiencies.
“Golden Rice is intended to complement these existing interventions since rice is widely grown and eaten all over the country,” Salceda said.