The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) is working double time to promote indigenously developed biotech rice to raise yields by up to 35 percent and cultivate the staple with micronutrients like iron and beta-carotene, the precursor of vitamin A.

PhilRice has been developing new varieties from traditional rice and is also researching on how to introduce beta-carotene into these strains to prevent blindness among children and lactating mothers, according to PhilRice supervising science-research specialist Dr. Antonio Alfonso.

Moreover, PhilRice said the battle is really on how to prevent 20,000 deaths due to hunger in a country that has resources ample enough to support a population of 200 million.

Alfonso said the introgression could be done within the year and with it follows the development of Golden Rice and 3-in-1 rice varieties.

Department of Agriculture Biotechnology Program director Alice Ilaga said these efforts in rice research and development may be the answer to the problem of tight rice supply today.

However, she added, the study’s success will require political will on the part of the government.

Prospects are high for the biotechnology-engineered rice varieties as it will not only address recent failure to produce adequate rice supply, but will also help solve malnutrition in the country.

Eventually, genetically modified rice will also lessen, if not totally free, the Philippines from annual rice imports.

Golden Rice, as a result of genetic engineering, will produce rice grains enriched with beta-carotene.

The 3-in-1 rice varieties, meantime, will be the first of its kind that is both vitamin-enriched rice, tungro-resistant (RTD) and bacterial blight-resistant rice varieties (BLB).

RTD and BLB are two rice diseases that have contributed to low rice production.

To date, research is still being done for the 3-in-1 rice variety targeted for commercial release by 2011. Biolife News Service