HarvestPlus recognised as global food innovator

HarvestPlus, a biofortified food crop development initiative that helped Bangladesh release world's first zinc-enriched rice variety in 2013, has won prestigious “LAUNCH Innovator” recognition for 2017.

It has won the recognition along with 11 other innovators selected from a pool of 280 applicants from 74 countries, a release said yesterday.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the US Agency for International Development (USAID), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and NIKE Inc. jointly founded LAUNCH in 2009 to build a community of innovators.

Since 2013 release of first biofortified zinc rice -- BRRI dhan-62 -- which is also the most early-maturing variety ever released for Aman season, the Washington-based HarvestPlus helped scientists in Bangladesh to research, develop and release four more zinc biofortified rice varieties with high yield and beneficial agronomic traits.

“Biofortification is incredibly beneficial to vulnerable groups in rural farming communities, such as women and children,” said HarvestPlus CEO Bev Postma.