GOLDEN RICE

 

Bangladesh could become the first country to approve the plantation of golden rice. The Golden Rice that is being reviewed in Bangladesh is developed by the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute. If everything goes to plan, farmers might be planting golden rice seed by 2021.

 

Background

• In the late 1990s, scientists from Germany developed a genetically modified variety of rice, known as Golden Rice.
• Golden Rice was claimed to be able to fight Vitamin-A deficiency, which is the leading cause of blindness among children and can also lead to death due to infectious diseases such as measles.

 

The need of Golden Rice in Bangladesh

• In Bangladesh, over 21 per cent of the children have a vitamin-A deficiency. It can help Bangladesh, where Vitamin-A deficiencies leave millions at high risk.
• Also, this rice variety will not be more expensive than the conventional variety of rice.

 

Why Golden Colour?

Rice is naturally low in the pigment beta-carotene, which the body uses to make Vitamin-A. Golden rice contains this, which is the reason for its golden colour.

 

How was it developed?

• Vitamin A is made from beta-carotene, which is found in carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, and other vegetables.
• To create golden rice, scientists modified rice plants with beta-carotene genes from maize. By doing this, rice plants started to produce the rich orange-coloured pigment.
• Then, the transgenic plants were donated to publicly funded research centres to develop their own versions of golden rice using local rice varieties.

 

Source: Indian Express

 

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