By Eufemio T. Rasco Understanding the science behind food is more important than ever. As the Philippines slowly loosens its COVID-19 protocols, it has become necessary to address other important issues that emerged, or were exacerbated, during our extended lockdown. This is particularly resonant for the Philippine agriculture sector, which is undergoing a shift from the perspective of its food systems. This is in part due to shifting global paradigms and commitments […]

Stakeholders favor “Golden Rice” over ordinary white rice in terms of its health benefits during the former’s ceremonial tasting, held recently in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. “It smells and tastes the same as ordinary rice, except it is colored yellow. But I will choose ‘Golden Rice’ over white rice, because it has more health benefits. Kung sana noong bata pa ako ay meron na nito, sana mas malusog pa ako,” said Agriculture […]

The recent commercial propagation approval of Golden Rice was lauded by global experts as an indicator of the Philippines’ leadership role in agricultural biotechnology in the ASEAN region. The country’s pioneering path began in 1990 with the establishment of its first biosafety policy and was further strengthened by Administrative Order No. 8, Series of 2002 (AO8), which opened the pathways for “local agriculture to benefit from the safe and responsible […]

With DA-BPI’s release of the final biosafety approval, Golden Rice is now cleared for commercial propagation. Science City of Muñoz, Philippines — Filipino rice consumers are close to benefiting from a Vitamin A-infused rice with the approval of its commercial propagation permit. Dr. John C. de Leon, executive director of the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice), announced that a biosafety permit for propagating the Golden Rice has been […]

Healthier rice including Golden Rice are good complementary sources of nutrition. Dr Marissa Romero, food scientist based in the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice), said rice comprises almost 40% of the Filipino daily diet. With the prominence of rice in the Filipino diet, its potential role in improving nutrition and health is a dynamic area of research at DA-PhilRice as part of its mandate to develop safe and nutritious rice […]

Golden Rice, a type of rice that contains beta-carotene (a source of vitamin A), is now in the final stage of biosafety regulatory assessments. Once it gets the permit for commercial propagation anytime soon, the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) will be preparing for its deployment initially on a pilot scale in areas where malnutrition, especially vitamin A deficiency, is high. Now, the question that people ask is: […]

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles is supporting Golden Rice in line with DA-PhilRice’s response in combating malnutrition problems in the country under its Healthier Rice Project. Golden Rice is an additional intervention to combat vitamin A deficiency. Healthier Rice Project Lead Reynante Ordonio updated Secretary Nograles and his staff on Golden Rice during a virtual technical briefing on April 14. Nograles invited the team to conduct another briefing for the […]

The journey to Golden Rice is one step closer to completion, with the formal opening of the 60-day public comment period for its proposed commercial propagation. This follows the regulatory application submitted by the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) to the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI) in October 2020. Public participation is a critical component of the Philippine biosafety regulatory process and […]

The Golden Rice Project gains more support after over 700 stakeholders nationwide were briefed about the project from July to September this year. In coordination with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), PhilRice led a series of briefings in Quezon City, Nueva Ecija, Isabela, Ilocos Norte, Agusan del Norte, Albay, Camarines Sur, and Tagaytay City. Different stakeholders, such as farmers, policy makers, students and teachers, research and development professionals, medical […]

By: Mary Grace Padin Filipino farmers earned an estimated $560 million from planting genetically modified (GM) corn in 2003 to 2014, according to data from the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA). The ISAAA report, titled Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2015, revealed that in 2014 alone, farmers gained $89 million. “[The data] goes to show that we have to invest in technology that will improve […]