WASHINGTON -- Scientists have genetically
                 engineered a "golden rice" that produces extra vitamin,
                 saying it could help save the lives of millions of children.

                 They said that eventually, they hope to develop a rice
                 strain that contains a full day's value of vitamin A in an
                 average day's intake.

                 The scientists also deliberately developed the genetically
                 modified rice without commercial support so that they
                 could give the seed away to farmers -- free of the patent
                 or licensing restrictions that so often limit the distribution
                 of genetically engineered crops.

                 After it undergoes the necessary health and safety tests,
                 the new rice could be available to farmers within the
                 decade. Mr Ingo Potrykus of the Swiss Federal Institute
                 of Technology in Zurich, Mr Peter Beyer of the
                 University of Freiburg in Germany and colleagues
                 reported their findings last August, but described them
                 only in yesterday's issue of the journal Science.

                 They noted that in most countries, rice is polished to
                 take off the tough outer shell, both for flavour and
                 because the husk can go rancid.

                 "The remaining edible part of rice grains, the endosperm,
                 lacks several essential nutrients, such as provitamin A,"
                 they said. "Thus, predominant rice consumption
                 promotes vitamin A deficiency, a serious public-health
                 problem in at least 26 countries, including highly
                 populated areas of Asia, Africa and Latin America."

                 Without enough of the necessary vitamin in their diet,
                 people develop chronic ailments, from blindness to a
                 weakened immune system that leaves the young
                 especially vulnerable to infections.

                 Health experts estimate that 124 million children
                 worldwide are deficient in vitamin A, which can also
                 make them more susceptible to diseases such as measles
                 and diarrhoea.

                 Nutritionists believe that anywhere from 1 to 2 million
                 kids die each year because of inadequate nutrition.

                 "In South-east Asia, it is estimated that a quarter of a
                 million children go blind each year because of this
                 nutritional deficiency," the researchers wrote in the
                 journal.

                 To remedy the problem, the scientists, led by Mr
                 Potrykus, successfully used three new genes to create a
                 variety of rice that contains enough beta-carotene
                 compound to meet the vitamin A requirement with a
                 typical daily ration of rice.

                 "It was an experiment that was so complicated that the
                 scientific community did not believe it would work.
                 Nobody had tried to transfer four independent genes"
                 into rice, he said in Zurich.

                 Earlier this year, he announced that his team was trying
                 to modify rice to raise its iron content and promote
                 absorption of dietary iron. -- Reuters, Los Angeles
                 Times, Washington Post

                      Adapted from The Straits Times, 15 Jan 2000.