Biotechnology is in limbo in the Philippines. That’s according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), based on the report written by Dexter Barro II which appeared in Manila Bulletin.
“The Philippines could lose critical progress in the development of two flagship genetically engineered (GE) crops after a court ruling that suspended their commercial release is still under evaluation,” Barro wrote.
His source of information is the USDA. “In a Dec. 1 report, the USDA noted that the Supreme Court (SC) is still reviewing an initial decision by the Court of Appeals (CA) that halted the development of both golden rice and Bt eggplant,” Barro noted.
It must be recalled that in April of the previous year, the CA issued a Writ of Kalikasan aimed at revoking the biosafety permit for the commercial cultivation of golden rice and ordering a halt to activities associated with Bt eggplant.
The Writ of Kalikasan serves as a legal remedy within the country that safeguards the constitutional right to a healthy environment, enabling individuals to pursue judicial relief in cases of environmental damage.
Golden rice received its registration in 2022. In that same year, a permit was granted for Bt eggplant.
In its report, the USDA indicated that the progress of golden rice and Bt eggplant is effectively stalled, as even governmental initiatives intended to facilitate their implementation have also been suspended.
Although there are presently no trade restrictions concerning biotechnology within the country, the foreign agency pointed out that certain local government regulations contradict the advancement of genetically engineered (GE) crops.
The USDA highlighted prohibitions on GE cultivation in Bohol, Mindoro, Benguet, and Negros Occidental.
This is bad news, especially for golden rice. Golden rice is one of the nutrient-rich rice varieties being developed by Philippine Rice Institute (PhilRice) with support and assistance from International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to help reduce the incidence of malnutrition in the country.
“We’re still losing one generation after another to malnutrition and this just shouldn’t be happening anymore,” deplores Dr. Howart Bouis, a senior research fellow at the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute.
Golden rice is one possible solution to the problem. Normally, rice plants produce beta-carotene in their green parts, but not the grain that people eat. Golden rice is genetically engineered to produce beta-carotene in the edible part of the plant.
Using genetic modification techniques, scientists developed golden rice using genes from corn and a common soil microorganism that together produce beta carotene in the rice grain. According to IRRI, conventional breeding programs could not be used to develop golden rice because rice varieties do not contain significant amounts of beta carotene.
IRRI describes golden rice as unique because it contains beta carotene which gives the golden color to the cereal (as well as to fruits and vegetables like squash, papaya and carrots). The body converts beta carotene into golden rice to Vitamin A as needed.
According to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2009, daily consumption of a cup of rice – about 150 grams uncooked weight – could supply half of the Recommended Daily Allowance of Vitamin A for an adult.
In an email sent to Mark Lynas, an environmentalist and author of several books, Nina Fedoroff, former president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, wrote: “Golden rice addresses a major nutritional problem in the most direct way imaginable, through a dietary staple.”
Golden rice has been bred with local rice cultivars in the Philippines, Taiwan and with the American rice cultivar “Cocodrie.” The first field trials of these golden rice cultivars were conducted by Louisiana State University Agricultural Center in 2004. Preliminary results from the field tests have shown field-grown golden rice produces 4 to 5 times more beta-carotene than golden rice grown under greenhouse conditions.
In 2005, a team of researchers at biotechnology company, Syngenta, produced a variety of golden rice called “Golden Rice 2.” This type of rice produces 23 times more carotenoids than golden rice.
Also in 2005, researcher Peter Beyer received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to further improve golden rice by increasing the levels of or the bioavailability of pro-vitamin A, vitamin E, iron, and zinc, and to improve protein quality through genetic modification.
The University of California and Rutgers University have conducted studies showing “…higher crop yields, reduced pesticide use and fewer pesticide-related health problems…” amongst Chinese farmers who used genetically-modified rice strains. This was published in the peer reviewed journal Science in 2005.
“According to the information reported by the WHO, genetically modified products that are currently on the international market have all passed risk assessments conducted by national authorities,” said Dr. Jose L. Domingo of the Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, School of Medicine, at Rovira I Virgili University in Spain.
“Producing enough food energy to maintain the world’s population is not enough,” IRRI said in a statement. “Even if energy requirements are met, billions of malnourished, poor people will continue to live in poor health, with low productivity and an inferior quality of life. Nutrition foods that meet minimum daily nutritional requirements must be produced.”
