Golden Rice

Why in news?

• The Philippines on July 21 became the first country to approve commercial propagation of Golden Rice. 

About Golden Rice

• In the late 1990s, German scientists developed a genetically modified variety of rice called Golden Rice.
• It was claimed to be able to fight Vitamin A deficiency, which is the leading cause of blindness among children and can also lead to death due to infectious diseases such as measles.
• Vitamin A deficiency is estimated to kill 670,000 children under the age of 5.
• The Golden Rice is being developed by many institutions including the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute.
• According to the institute, this rice variety will not be more expensive than the conventional variety.
• Rice is naturally low in the pigment beta-carotene, which the body uses to make Vitamin A.  Golden rice contains this, which is the reason for its golden colour.
• The benefits of Golden rice has been contested over the years, with a 2016 study from Washington University in St Louis reporting that the variety may fall short of what it is supposed to achieve.

Prelims Question

Golden Rice is a genetically modified rice designed to solve the problem of deficiency of :
(a)Vitamin A
(b)Iodine
(c)Vitamin K
(d)Iron

Answer to prelims question