Genetically modified (GM) Golden Rice is now waiting for food safety clearance certificate to be released as a new variety as the vitamin-A fortified rice will fight childhood blindness that affects country’s 21 per cent children.

“The vitamin A enriched rice variety, popularly known as Golden Rice, would finally require the environment ministry’s permission and then maximum two years will be needed for it to be released as the new GM rice variety for the growers,” said Dr Partho Sarothi Biswas, Principal Scientific Officer (PSO) of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI).

After final approval within this year, the national seed certification agency under the Ministry of Agriculture will take steps to release the variety after two season trial production at the field level by some assigned growers at some particular locations, said the BRRI scientist.

In November 2017, BRRI submitted the proposal to the Bangladeshi Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. The Bio safety Core Committee, a group of eight officials and scientists, has since been reviewing environmental risks, such as the plant’s potential to become a weed, as well as food safety, said the BRRI scientist.