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A research team at the Malaysian Agriculture Research
and Development Institute (MARDI) recently won a gold
medal for their work on Papaya Ringspot Virus (PRSV)
Resistant Papaya. MARDI won a total of 10 awards
at the recent 33rd International Products and Innovation
of New Techniques Exhibition in Geneva, carrying home
4 gold medals, 5 silver, and 1 bronze. The study,
"Papaya ringspot virus resistant Eksotika papaya for the
industry,"
was headed by Dr. Vilasini Pilai. PRSV has destroyed
many papaya-growing farms in Johor, Malaysia's largest
papaya-growing state. This new PRSV-resistant papaya is
of the Eksotika variety, which Malaysia exports mainly
to
China and Hong Kong
EC LISTS ACCEPTED GM PRODUCTS
The European Commission
(EC) has recently released a list of 26 genetically
modified (GM) products that have legally been
on the European market,
even before the European Union's (EU) new legislative
framework for authorizing GM food
and feed went into effect.
The list aims to clarify exactly which GM products are
legally permitted to be sold in the EU,
and includes products that
may continue to be marketed because they fulfilled the
notification requirements under Regulation (EC) No
1829/2003.The list numbers 12 varieties of maize, 6 of
oilseed rape, 5 of cotton and one of soybean, one
biomass
and one yeast cream.
Existing products on the EC register are subject to the
strict labeling and traceability rules for
all GMOs under new EU
legislation. Since Regulation 1829/2003's
implementation, all GM food and feed seeking to enter
the
EU market have to undergo
thorough safety assessments. Once on the market and in
the EC register, existing products can be sold for 3-9
years, and may stay for a much longer time if an
application for renewal of the authorization is
submitted.
GM GOLDEN RICE BOOSTS VITAMIN A
UK scientists have
developed a new genetically-modified strain of "golden
rice", producing more beta-carotene. The human
body converts
beta-carotene into vitamin A, and this strain produces
around 20 times as much as previous varieties.
It could help reduce
vitamin A deficiency and childhood blindness in
developing countries.TheWorldHealth Organization
estimates up to 500,000 childrengo blind each year because of vitamin A
deficiency. When the original strain of golden rice
emerged from laboratories in Switzerland five years ago,
it was hailed by some as an instant solution. But that
original strain
didn't produce enough beta-carotene to ensure that children would get
their daily requirement from eating normal quantities
of rice. And because of concerns about GM agriculture, it still has not
been grown in field trials in Asia. The new variety,
developed at the UK laboratories of the biotechnology
company Syngenta, produces much more beta-carotene.
Syngenta is making the rice available for free to research centers
across Asia, who will, if they are given the go-ahead
by their governments, begin field trials. Not everyone believes golden
rice is the best answer to Vitamin A deficiency.
Some agricultural experts and environmental groups say aiming for a
balanced diet across the board would be a better
solution. But it is the first concrete evidence that GM technology can
produce crops aimedat solving the pressing problems
of the developing world, rather than increasing the profits of western
biotechnology companies. |
