Golden Rice briefing with the City Agriculture and Fishery Council in Muñoz
The Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI) has given the go-signal for the conduct of public consultations on the proposed field trials for GR2E Golden Rice.
The public consultation process is a significant component of biosafety regulatory approval under the Joint Department Circular No. 1 series of 2016. The consultation process is comprised of Public Information Sheet postings in accessible community locations, a 30-day public comment period, and the public hearing. This provides community members with the opportunity to participate responsibly in a critical biosafety decision-making process.
The public consultation is set on 18 July 2018 in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija and on 19 July 2018 in San Mateo, Isabela.
Field Trial Application
PhilRice submitted the application for a biosafety permit for the conduct of GR2E Golden Rice field trial on 28 February 2017 to DA-BPI, following the procedures under the Joint Department Circular No. 1 s. 2016.
Proposed field trial sites were at Brgy. Maligaya Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija and Brgy. Malasin, San Mateo, Isabela.
The field trial aims to: (1) collect relevant agronomic and phenotypic data to complete the environmental risk assessment of GR2E rice in the context of the likely receiving environment in the Philippines and (2) collect samples of GR2E and control rice grains for analytical testing.
Food, Feed and Processing Approval
Together with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), PhilRice is developing high-yielding inbred local rice varieties with the beta-carotene producing GR2E Golden Rice trait.
Earlier this year, GR2E Golden Rice received positive food and safety assessments from three leading regulatory agencies: Food Safety Australia New Zealand, Health Canada, and the United States Food and Drug Administration. The project is also waiting the same approval in the Philippines.
