Biofortified crops
Topic: Major Crops of India: Distribution and Conditions · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Biofortified crops are crop varieties bred to hold more nutrients, such as zinc or iron, inside the grain itself. Scientists do this through breeding, so the nutrients are not added later in a factory. These crops help fight hidden hunger. Hidden hunger means a person eats enough food but still lacks key vitamins and minerals. ICAR has released over 150 such varieties (verify current).
Example
Some examples are zinc-rich wheat and rice and iron-rich pearl millet (bajra). Iron-rich bajra suits the dry lands of Rajasthan, where people already eat a lot of bajra.
Don't confuse with
- Food fortification: in fortification, nutrients are added to food during processing, as in iodised salt. In biofortification, the nutrients are bred into the crop.
- GM crops: GM crops carry genes from other organisms. Most biofortified crops are made by ordinary breeding.