Posted on 4-6-2002
Starving
Zimbabwe Shuns GM Maize
by Andrew Meldrum in Harare, Saturday June 1, 2002, The Guardian
Gripped by severe food shortages, with a potentially vast famine
looming,
the Zimbabwean authorities have rejected a US government donation
of 10,000
tonnes of maize, worth $6m, because it has not been certified
as
free from genetic modification.
But the decision was not yet another example of President Robert
Mugabe
protesting at western imperialism. It was taken to protect Zimbabwe's
own
crop and its ability to export certified hybrid maize seed throughout
Africa. Despite widespread hunger, Zimbabwe refused the shipment
of maize
because it came in the form of whole kernels, which, if used
as seed, could
spread GM strains across the country. As there are also food
shortages in
nearby countries, the delivery was diverted to Zambia, Mozambique
and
Malawi. "Zimbabwe did not waive its requirement that entering
commodities
must be certified as entirely non-GM" or not of genetically
modified
origin, the embassy said.
Agricultural experts here said the rejection of the maize should
not be
viewed as a petulant act by the Mugabe government. The country's
farmers
feel that GM kernels could threaten Zimbabwe's production of
hybrid
maize. If Zimbabwe's maize were altered by GM crops planted
nearby, it
could lose its certification. A non-GM product, noted for its
suitability
for a hot growing season, it would then be barred from export.
Shipments of
US maize in the form of fine-ground meal cannot be used as seed,
and have
therefore been gladly accepted by Zimbabwe. The US-funded Famine
Early
Warning System Network estimates nearly a quarter of Zimbabwe's
12.5m
people are facing hunger. That number is expected to grow in
the coming
months to 7m, according to a study by the United Nations World
Food
Programme.
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