Biofortified Varieties of Crops

• Vaid's ICS, Lucknow
• 02, Aug 2021

Topics: GS III ( Agriculture & Allied Sectors)/Pre & Main

Why in News?

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has recently released commemorative coins of Rs 75 denomination to mark the 75th Anniversary of FAO through video conferencing.

He dedicated to the nation, 17 recently developed biofortified varieties of 8 crops.

Fortification &  Bio-fortification :

• Food fortification refers to the intentional increase of one or more micronutrients in foods to improve or prevent the deficiency of these nutrients and provide health benefits.
• Biofortification is the process by which the nutritional quality of food crops is improved through agronomic practices, conventional plant breeding or modern biotechnology.

About (Food and Agriculture Organization- FAO):

• The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization was established in the year 1945 under the auspices of the United Nations.
• Its headquarters are located in Rome, Italy.
• FAO works for food security globally, the goal of this institution is to contribute to the global economy through nutritional improvement, increased agricultural productivity and improved rural living standards.
• Currently there are 194 active members in this institution.

Facts  For Prelims

Transgenesis:

Transgenesis is the process by which you introduce one or more genes into an organism from another organism entirely.

• This usually involves handling and modifying the DNA itself in a test tube, and then packaging it to insert it into the new organism.
• There are several ways to introduce the new gene or ‘transform’ a plant such as biolistics(the “gene gun”), using Agrobacterium – a naturally occurring organism that inserts DNA into plants, or by using electricity – a process called electroporation.