The U.S. rice industry is dedicated to a science-based review of new technologies, letting farmers and consumers enjoy the benefits of the technology, while at the same time guaranteeing a safe and wholesome food supply. This afternoon I will discuss how biotechnology is being introduced into the rice industry through public and private research, both in the United States and throughout the world. To follow up, I would like to share with you some of the actions the U.S. rice industry is taking to create a producer and consumer friendly environment for biotechnology in the rice industry.
Rice is one of the world's oldest food grains.
Farmers have been growing rice for around six thousand years. They constantly seek to improve the plant health, insect and disease resistance, taste and yield of their crop. This work heralded in an era of never before seen concentration of genetic research in rice by IRRI and facilities around the world. While the high yield of the new rice varieties was an immense attribute, the continued expansion of the Green Revolution depended on the use of chemicals, irrigation and mechanization. By the mid-1990s researchers around the world were looking at incorporating beneficial attributes directly into rice seed, using traditional breeding techniques as well as newly developed biotechnology procedures.