The Department of Agriculture (DA) plans to use biotechnology to strengthen the country’s crop sector and entice more youth to pursue agriculture-related careers.
“The stance of the DA is clear: biotechnology is a pillar of our ‘OneDA approach’ to ensuring agricultural productivity, sustainability, economic growth, and nutritional security,” DA Secretary William Dar said during the Healthier Rice Project Team and Advisory Committee (HRAC) meeting last Wednesday, Feb. 2.
“The biosafety approval of Golden Rice for commercial propagation firmly cements the Philippines’ leadership in agriculture biotechnology in the ASEAN region,” he added.
In a separate statement, Dar said that the DA will lead the commercialization of the first variety of genetically modified (GM) rice with the help of institutions such as the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and strategic research partners, among others.
Dar, who was the first to taste the Golden Rice last September 2021, explained that the rice is rich in vitamin A and reduces the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) among women and children.
This year, the DA’s Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) plans to implement the massive production of “Golden Rice” in various provinces.
“The achievements made by the Philippines exemplified by the biosafety approvals for Golden Rice hopefully will inspire more young Filipinos to pursue this field because we need more biotechnologists, scientists to help us drive the agriculture and fisheries sector towards modernization and industrialization,” Dar said.
Aside from the commercialization of the Golden Rice, Dar also encouraged the committee to participate in initiatives that reduce nutrition security-related problems such as low glycemic rice development and enhancement of rice farmers’ capacity.