On Monday 1 March 2021, Professor Dr. Apichart Vanavichit of the Rice Science Center, Kasetsart University, presented the work of the DNA Technology Laboratory (DNA TEC) to the Kasetsart University Council at the Bangkhen Campus.
Professor Apichart presented the laboratory's work using DNA technology to help control the quality of premium Thai Hom Mali rice for the world market. DNA TEC also plays an important role for local rice mills and exporters by testing the varietal purity of rice harvested by farmers before processing, to verify the authenticity of Thai Hom Mali rice. Since 2012, DNA TEC has tested more than 54,472 Hom Mali rice samples, running up to 1.5 million polymerase chain reactions. DNA-based varietal purity testing affects the price and volume of exports: over the eight years from 1992 to 2000, export volume increased by 279,000 tonnes a year, with total export revenue over the eight years of 86,117 million baht, more than before DNA-based purity testing was used. This raised farmers' income by 1,280 million baht a year, or 11,521 million baht over the eight years.
In the future, DNA TEC wants to adopt new molecular-level testing technologies for greater accuracy. It is also looking for cheaper and faster technologies for rice purity testing that can be used outdoors and in the field, to lower costs for rice exporters and to strengthen the competitiveness of premium Thai rice in the world market.
