Zinc-fortified rice will have great demand on local, regional markets – Minister

The Burma Rice Research Station has been developing a new variety of rice which has been biofortified with zinc to curtail nutrient deficiency. Samples were harvested for trials on Wednesday, and once successful, the product is expected to drive significant demand in the country and Caribbean.

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha visited the Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) facility where the project materialised through partnership between the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB).
According to him, this is a positive step in developing the traditional sectors in a way that would impact the population. With the rice being fortified with zinc, persons would achieve their required intake without spending additional money on supplements. As a result, it would tackle the non-communicable diseases in the region without any additional costs.
“It will not entail any additional costs. So, what we have been doing is producing value added [products], nutritious products but at the same cost. That’s the way to go.”
He added, “This has both economic benefit and health benefit…It has zinc in it. We are growing the zinc now in the fields rather than to put it artificially into the produce. So, this will help a lot of people because, right now, with the pandemic, we are being advised by the health specialists to use zinc. If they could get it right in the produce, that would be good.”
There was optimism that the tested product would be ready for the market within the next year, aiding Guyana to reclaim its title as the bread basket of the Caribbean and maintain food security.
“It will also spark interest among local farmers. I’m very optimistic that a year from now, after the next trial, we would have a candidate variety that can spread across the country, and farmers will be interested in cultivating these kinds of crops, because I’ve been getting good review on those varieties that we launched right here.
“This shows that we’re putting the funds in the right direction, and our country will not only be self-sufficient, but our country will be able to export and satisfy that demand in the Caribbean,” he expressed.
According to GRDB Chief Scientist Dr Mahendra Persaud, it is a commendable task for such a small country. Moreover, zinc deficiency currently affects a significant percentage of the global population.
“Zinc is a problem for over a third of the population on the earth, and mostly women and children are suffering. We’ve come a far way in developing these lines that we’re sure one or two will translate into a variety for the betterment of our own people in Guyana, Latin American, and even further afield, because we trade 70 to 80 per cent of what we produce. That’s a win-win for everyone,” Persaud identified.
Last month, Dr Persaud had explained that the strains are part of a breeding trial, and will be tested over the next three seasons.
“We’ve been testing some breeding lines and established varieties for higher levels of zinc. We have 17 promising entries at four trial locations. These trials will go on for at least three more seasons before we make a final selection on which of the strains will go into the farmers’ fields for a final analysis for release as a variety. It’s quite at the initial stage, but we are very optimistic because we’ve seen these lines perform well at the breeding stage over the past five years,” he was quoted as saying.