BIOFORTIFICATION

sree nivas June 21, 2021 GS, GS3 Leave a comment 345 Views

Biofortification is the process by which the nutritional quality of food crops is improved through agronomic practices, conventional plant breeding, or modern biotechnology.

Importance of Biofortification:

Biofortified staple crops, when consumed regularly, will generate measurable improvements in human health and nutrition.
Biofortified crops are also often more resilient to pests, diseases, higher temperatures, drought and provide a high yield.
Biofortification fills an important gap as it provides a food-based, sustainable and low-dose alternative to iron supplementation. It does not require behavior change, can reach the poorest sections of the society, and supports local farmers.
After the initial investment to develop the biofortified seed, it can be replicated and distributed without any reduction in the micronutrient concentration. This makes it highly cost-effective and sustainable.

Challenges:

Lack of consumer acceptance due to color changes (e.g. golden rice) and last mile reach of fortified food remains a big challenge.
Adoption by farmers and cost involved in the process of fortification.
Though biofortification can be done using non-genetically-modified methods it is a slower process than genetic modification.

Way Forward

Because of the prevalence of diverse food practices in the country, biofortification will need to achieve high rates of adoption and consumption in geographically distinct areas.
Strategies for delivery of biofortified crops must be tailored to the local context for each crop–nutrient pair.
The government should facilitate public-private partnerships. Private sector engagement can leverage technological solutions for scaling up food fortification initiatives, and complement the government’s outreach efforts through mass awareness and education campaigns in communities.

SOURCE: THE HINDU,THE ECONOMIC TIMES,MINT

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