'Opposing Golden Rice for being a GM crop not correct'

German environmentalist and co-founder of Greenpeace Dr Patrick Moore has taken a stand different from his NGO colleagues. Dr Moore is batting for genetically modified (GM) Golden Rice to address Vitamin A deficiency among children in India and other Asian countries.  Golden Rice is a new type of rice which environmentalists claim contains beta carotene, a source of Vitamin A. Given the fact that Vitamin A deficiency causes blindness among nearly 2.5 to 5 lakh children globally and is a big cause for child moratlity, Moore argued that opposing Golden Rice for merely being a GM crop is not correct. “If Golden Rice was a cure for a disease like malaria, cancer or ebola it would have been approved years ago.

It is time the international community intervened in this humanitarian tragedy,” Moore said. He claimed that his Indian leg of tour to promote Golden Rice has faced heavy resistance from anti-capitalist activists.  Moore is hopeful that with the new NDA Government supporting bio-technology by allowing filed trials of seven crops, GM products like Golden Rice stand a chance in India. “There are all kinds of propaganda against GM crops. But there will be one day when it will be difficult to find a fruit without being a GM,” Moore said.  “It is a testament to the uncaring attitude of Greenpeace and other NGOs that they will not drop their opposition to Golden Rice,” he added.