Rice that can prevent blindness? This is no longer a dream. Vitamin-enriched rice may soon be available at the neighbourhood kirana store. After the successful implementation of Bt cotton seeds by Indian farmers, the South-Asian Biosafety Program (SABP) has sought the commercial release of rice genetically modified to include Vitamin A. SABP has also modified brinjal seeds to reduce the use of insecticides.
SABP is an international developmental programme supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). It is implemented in India and Bangladesh by the International Food Policy Research Institute.
Currently in the fifth (approval) phase, the hybrid rice and brinjal seeds will increase yield, while reducing the use of insecticides. While the brinjal seeds have been modified to fight insects, the rice called Golden Rice is enriched with Vitamin A.
The only drawback is the price. If the Centre okays sale of these seeds, it will be available for a higher price compared to the regular ones.
Speaking to the media in Ahmedabad, National Co-ordinator of SABP (India), Purvi Mehta Bhatt said, ‘‘Lakhs of people in the country turn blind due to lack of Vitamin A in the diet. This vitamin is available in plenty in green vegetables. However, not all can afford to buy green vegetables. Therefore, the scientists have modified the rice to include Vitamin A. One bowl of rice is equivalent to two bowls of spinach.
‘‘This will help the people get adequate amount of Vitamin A in their simple rice diet,’’ she added.
The problem of insects damaging brinjal crop is very common in Maharashtra. To counter this, SABP modified the seeds to fight insects to some extent. ‘‘Though farmers will require insecticides for their crop, the quantity will be reduced three times.’’
So far, Bt cotton is the only transgenic crop that has been approved by the Indian government for commercial use, though research is being conducted for biotech crops like mustard, salt-tolerant varieties and insect-resistant vegetables.
Mentioning the use of Bt cotton, Bhatt said, ‘‘The biotech revolution is about to begin. The yield of cotton has grown three folds since the time it was introduced. In 2004, cotton was grown in 5 lakh hectares. In 2005, the area covered is 1.3 million hectare. More than 1 million farmers are using Bt cotton.’’
To promote genetically modified crops, SABP has also prepared a 20-minute documentary in collaboration with International Service for the Acquisition of Agribiotechnology (ISAAA). Bhatt said, ‘‘The film focuses on Bt cotton, how it was introduced, safety precautions taken before it was put into the farmers’ hands. It also includes interviews of some prominent Indian scientists.’’