Environment experts feel that the rich biodiversity of rice is fast depleting, with only a handful of commercially viable varieties being cultivated the world over. In the last 100 years, as many as 1,00,000 varieties of rice have simply vanished. Today there are fewer than a dozen species planted in 70 per cent of the land under rice cultivation. Indian rice varieties are famous for their quality, aroma and grain length and any disturbance to the rice biodiversity will have a catastrophic impact on the agro-economy of the country.
Tinkering with rice, like for instance attempts to produce “Golden rice” and GE rice, has come in for sharp criticism from biodiversity experts at the ongoing Conference of Parties. A fact sheet published by Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific pointed out that rice is the staple food for half the people on Earth, and is at the heart of Asia’s diverse cultures. Yet its future, along with that of millions of small-scale rice farmers is in jeopardy. “Trans-national corporations are shifting control of rice production away from farming communities which have grown countless rice varieties over centuries,” it added.