Can biofortified crops make India nutritionally secure?
Many African and Asian countries, including India, are leaning towards biofortification of crops. It is the process by which the nutrient density of food crops is increased by various means without sacrificing characteristic that is preferred by consumers or farmers. Thus, biofortified crops are more nutrient-dense than non-biofortified varieties.\xa0\xa0\nExperts believe that these crops can help end 'hidden hunger' or micronutrient malnutrition.\xa0\nResearch is underway to add iron, Vitamin A, and Zinc to humble staple foods. Iron-biofortification of beans, cowpea and pearl millet, zinc-biofortification of maize, rice, and wheat, and pro-vitamin A carotenoid-biofortification of cassava, maize, rice, and sweet potato are currently underway and at different stages of development\xa0across the world.\xa0\nIn August, PM Narendra Modi released 109 high yielding, climate resilient and biofortified varieties of crops at India Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. So, How can India get the best use of the process? And, what are the challenges involved in it?\xa0\n\xa0\nGuest: Suneetha Kadiyala, Professor of Global Nutrition, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine\xa0\nHost: Nivedita V\xa0\nEdited by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian