Golden Rice: some considerations for Philippine pending legal decisions and expected local and global implications
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http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9429-8423
Abstract
Golden Rice, developed since 2000, provides beta-carotene, a vitamin A source. In 2004, transgenesis introduced genes from a bacterium and maize into rice, making Golden Rice a GMO crop. No other method could create it. Since then, development has involved only sexual reproduction between rice plants.
In 2023, nearly 900 million children suffered from vitamin A deficiency (VAD), which killed 2 million annually in the early 1990s. Rice, a staple for 50% of the world, especially in (Low-and -Middle-Income-Countries) LMICs, is mostly carbohydrate, with little micronutrient nutritional value.
Golden Rice aims to improve public health by providing vitamin A at no greater cost than white rice to resource-poor communities. It is widely recognized as a humanitarian project.
Greenpeace has long opposed GMO crops, using the issue for fundraising. Golden Rice disproves their claims, so they seek to undermine the project. Due to limited resources, Golden Rice has been introduced only in Bangladesh and the Philippines. Bangladesh's progress is stalled without valid reason, while the Philippines has adopted Golden Rice since 2021. However, Greenpeace filed a 2022 complaint claiming environmental risks, unsupported by science.
Recent Philippine Court of Appeals decisions (April and August 2024) have halted Golden Rice adoption. The Department of Agriculture plans to appeal to the Supreme Court.
This article discusses the ongoing significance of VAD and Golden Rice and emphasizes the need for the Philippines to maintain its global leadership in scientific innovation and public health through the Golden Rice initiative. It also proposes considerations for the Department of Agriculture's upcoming appeal.
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