Intense efforts are under way for commercial production of genetically-engineered ‘golden rice’ which can help prevent blindness by boosting vitamin A intake bolstered by a new strain.

Compared with the original golden rice unveiled in 2000, ‘golden rice 2’ contains up to 23 times more provitamin A, the substance converted in the body into vitamin A. This vitamin is vital for preventing childhood blindness, which affects thousands of children in India each year.

Three agricultural institutes - Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARA), New Delhi, Directorate of Rice Research, Hyderabad, and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, have started research in this regard.

Incidentally, research on commercial production of the variety is going on in six countries including Indonesia, India, Philippines, Bangladesh, Vietnam and China.