GM rice expected to receive commercial approval in the Philippines in 2013

Golden Rice will be released for the first time in the Philippines next year.

A genetically-modified rice that contains enhanced levels of beta carotene, a source of vitamin A, Golden Rice is advancing towards the completion of its regulatory requirements in the Philippines and Bangladesh.

In the Philippines, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has successfully bred the Golden Rice traits into IR64 and other varieties, including the variety PSBRc82 planted in the Philippines.

In 2010, IRRI completed one season of confined field tests of IR64-GR and in 2011, the Philippine Rice Research Institute conducted confined field test of PSBRc82 with the Golden Rice traits.

Current field testing and regulatory compliance experiments related to safety for Golden Rice regulatory dossiers are planned for submission in 2013 to Philippine authorities. Given that the Golden Rice trait is present in inbred lines, the Golden Rice varieties can be saved for replanting and will have a similar cost as current conventional varieties.

The expected commercial approval of biotech Golden Rice in the Philippines in 2013 will be of significance to China, Vietnam and Bangladesh which are evaluating the product with a view to deployment.