Golden Rice a Biotech Industry PR Scam?

The $100 million dollar project to develop a vitamin A rich rice in response to third world vitamin A deficiencies is a public relations ploy to improve the image of the biotechnology industry, environmentally dangerous, and a waste of public funds according to a joint report by the Institute of Science in Society (ISIS) www.i-sis.org and the Third World Network www.twnside.org.sg/. Earlier this year the Anglo-Swedish firm AstraZeneca and the German based Greenovation acquired exclusive rights to a new strain of genetically engineered Vitamin A rice. Swiss and German scientists had engineered the rice to produce beta-carotene, a precursor of Vitamin A. Beta-carotene gives the rice a golden hue and its name. The firms say they will give the rice seed free to third world farmers who earn less than $10,000 per year. First world farmers will be charged. "In addition to the protests from anti-GM protesters, AstraZeneca officials admit that the two-tier price system might be difficult to maintain," reported Philanthropy News Digest www.fdncenter.org/pnd in May, 2000. An ISIS "audit" of the golden rice claims that, although AstraZeneca has offered the rice for free to third world farmers, there are still nearly 70 patent claims on the golden rice technology. "Will the cost of paying royalties for the previous 70 patent claims be added to the cost of the golden rice? Which of the royalties on the seventy-odd patents would the Third World farmers be absolved from paying," the ISIS audit asks. ISIS also asks whether or not third world farmers would be required to obtain seed from corporate vendors each year or will they be able to save their own seed as has been the tradition with many third world farmers. The ISIS report points out that there is a vitamin A deficiency in many rice consuming countries because previous green revolution technologies eliminated agricultural diversity on farms. "The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) started a project in 1985 to deal with vitamin A deficiency using a combination of food fortification, food supplements and general improvements in diets by encouraging people to grow and eat a variety of green leafy vegetables." Prior to the Green Revolution many third world farmers grew a wide variety of leafy greens. International and govrnment aid programs created incentives to give up these divere and nutritious crops in favor of the high yielding green revolution rice varieties. Additionally, unpolished and unmilled rice contains vitamin A. Traditional Asian diets included unpolished rice. Green Revolution rice varieties require polishing, and the elimination of vitamin A, so they have long storage lives required for export.

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