MANILA, Philippines — Around 35,000 Filipino households by 2028 will have access to a rice variety that seeks to address zinc deficiency in the country, according to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice).
PhilRice, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, plans to reach around 35,000 households with high-zinc rice in three years following the first harvest of the crop recently.
PhilRice said it made the first-ever harvest of high-zinc rice in the country in its station in Negros Occidental.
The PhilRice Negros station harvested two zinc-rich varieties namely NSIC Rc 460 and NSIC Rc 648, both of which are aimed at reducing zinc deficiency, one of the leading contributors to stunting among Filipino children.
“With Nutrition Month putting the spotlight on healthy food, our high-zinc rice shows that the solution to hidden hunger can begin right at our dining table,” said Ommal Abdulkadil, PhilRice Negros station director.
Citing government data, PhilRice said about 26.7 percent of Filipino children under five are stunted, a condition that is linked to inadequate intake of key micronutrients like zinc.
One cup or 150 grams of cooked NSIC Rc 460 or Rc 648 rice per day may provide up to 25 percent of preschoolers’ daily zinc requirement, said B.P. Mallikarjuna Swamy, lead breeder from the International Rice Research Institute.
The NSIC Rc 460 contains 19.6 milligrams of zinc per kilo while NSIC Rc 648 contains 20.4 milligrams of zinc per kilo, according to PhilRice.
PhilRice said it plans to make the zinc-rich rice varieties more accessible to priority areas identified under the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition. These areas, which have the highest prevalence of stunted children, include Pangasinan, Quezon, Sorsogon, Iloilo, Surigao del Sur and Maguindanao.
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