In time for the 2025 Nutrition Month celebration, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in Negros Occidental has marked its first harvest of high-zinc rice through a ceremonial “Unang Ani” on July 3 at the station’s experimental fields.
“With Nutrition Month putting the spotlight on healthy food, our high-zinc rice shows that the solution to hidden hunger can begin right at our dining table,” said Ommal H. Abdulkadil, PhilRice Negros station director.
The station harvested two zinc-rich varieties, namely NSIC Rc 460 and NSIC Rc 648, which are intended to help reduce zinc deficiency, one of the leading contributors to stunting among Filipino children.
Data from the 2021 National Nutrition Survey by the Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) show that about 26.7% of Filipino children under five are stunted, a condition linked to inadequate intake of key micronutrients such as zinc.
According to Dr. B.P. Mallikarjuna Swamy, lead breeder from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), one cup or 150g of cooked NSIC Rc 460 or Rc 648 rice per day can provide up to 25% of the daily zinc requirement for pre-schoolers.
NSIC Rc 460, released in 2016, contains 19.6mg/kg of zinc, while NSIC Rc 648, approved in 2021, contains 20.4mg/kg higher than the average zinc content in common rice varieties.
PhilRice’s Healthier Rice Program aims to make these zinc-rich varieties accessible to priority areas identified under the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN), including Pangasinan, Quezon, Sorsogon, Iloilo, Surigao del Sur, and Maguindanao. These provinces have among the highest prevalence of stunted children and farming communities willing to adopt the new varieties.
“Our efforts to produce zinc-rich rice varieties are part of a nationwide seed multiplication strategy under the Healthier Rice Program. PhilRice Negros will lead seed distribution for the Visayas, Nueva Ecija will serve Luzon, and our stations in Midsayap and Agusan will cover Mindanao. By 2028, we hope to reach around 35,000 households with high-zinc rice,” said Leonilo V. Gramaje, project lead.
Farmers will also benefit from the varieties. NSIC Rc 460 yields an average of 4.7t/ha, matures in about 115 days, and shows resistance to yellow stem borer. NSIC Rc 648, meanwhile, yields around 4t/ha, matures in 122 days, and has intermediate resistance to blast, bacterial leaf blight, sheath blight, brown planthopper, and green leafhopper.
High-zinc rice is also being planted in Bual Norte, Midsayap, and the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, as part of PhilRice’s expansion to make more nutritious rice accessible to communities nationwide.
