GOLDEN RICE

A genetically modified product in the service of the poor or rather for the benefit of agri-industry?

Blindness is one of the signs of vitamin A deficiency. According to the WHO, 200 million children are suffering from a lack of vitamin A in developing countries. For them, a Swiss professor, Ingo Potrykus, together with the agri-chemical concern Syngenta, has developed “golden rice”: a genetically modified rice that contains Vitamin A. Potrykus wants to provide his wonder rice free of charge to poor farmers in developing countries. This new type of rice has been the subject of fierce controversy over the past years and is now about to be admitted to the market. In the Philippines, preparations are running full steam ahead and the people responsible for this project appear tense. Where and how do the people for whom the golden rice is intended actually live? How does the approval procedure work and how well has the foodstuff’s safety been tested? Will Filipinos even eat yellow rice instead of white rice?