Advances in the development of rice varieties with better nutritional quality in Indonesia

Rice is the major food crop in Indonesia, and its consumption is still considerably high, indicating that daily
nutrient uptake relies on its grain. An unbalanced diet leads to some health problems in Indonesia, such as
stunting, anemia, and diabetes. Increasing the nutritional value of rice through crop improvement is an
important strategy for reducing the prevalence of malnutrition. Improvement of the nutritional qualities of rice
varieties has been achieved by developing antioxidant-rich pigmented rice, micronutrient-rich rice, and low
glycemic index (GI) rice varieties. Pigmented rice varieties have been released for farmer adoption in Indonesia,
either with red or black aleurone. Improvement of the micronutrient content of rice through a cross-breeding
approach has been successful for zinc. High-zinc rice varieties for different rice ecosystems, including irri
gated lowland, upland, and swampy areas, have been developed and have the potential to be used for bio
fortification to reduce stunting prevalence in the country. More efforts to improve other important
micronutrients such as iron and provitamin A are still needed by using a genetic engineering approach. While
food diversification is the best way to overcome malnutrition, rice biofortification through the improvement of the nutritional quality of rice grain has the potential to be a sustainable approach to supplying important
nutrition for people who have limited access to a diverse diet. Acceleration of the adoption of healthier rice
varieties by farmers is key to getting the maximum benefit from the technologies.