MANILA — The Philippines said on Wednesday it has
approved the commercial propagation of genetically modified Golden Rice after
more than a decade of field tests that drew strong opposition from anti-GMO
activists.
اضافة اعلان
The Southeast Asian country, which is one of the world's biggest
rice importers, is the first nation to approve the Vitamin A-enriched grain for
planting, according to the Philippines-based International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI), which helped develop Golden Rice.
Formal biosafety approval was issued last month, the Department
of Agriculture (DA) and its attached agency, Philippine Rice Research Institute
(PhilRice), said in a statement.
The Philippines had been expected to approve the widespread
planting of Golden Rice as early as 2011, but faced public concerns over health
risks and opposition from various sectors, led by environmental groups.
Greenpeace has denounced the approval and called on the
agriculture department to reverse the
decision.
"The DA needs to ensure that farmers are central in a green
and just recovery from the pandemic, and are supported by resilient food and
farm systems in the face of the climate emergency," said Wilhelmina
Pelegrina, senior campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia, in a statement in
July.
PhilRice Executive Director John de Leon, however, allayed
health risk concerns.
"We have generated extensive data on the safety (of Golden
Rice) in terms of national and international safety standards," he said.
IRRI Director General Jean Balié said the milestone "puts
the Philippines at the global forefront in leveraging agriculture research to
address the issues of malnutrition and related health impacts in a safe and
sustainable way."
Golden Rice has received food safety approvals from regulators
in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States, and is currently
undergoing final regulatory review in Bangladesh, according to IRRI.
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