Friday, March 29, 2024

Given Lubinda challenged to order Shoprite to retract advert on importation of GMO’s

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Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Given Lubinda
Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Given Lubinda

Today Given Lubinda, the Minister of Agriculture is saying that the PF Government does not plan to start importing GMOs because that would be against Government policy. He is further saying Iam just an alarmist who has no relevance on the political scene.

To begin with I want to ask Given Lubinda some simple questions: if it is not true that Government is planning to start feeding us on GMOs why then is Shoprite advertising the importation of GMOs?

The advert clearly states that all submissions should be taken to The Bio Safety Department, a department under Mr Lubinda’s Ministry.Does it mean that our Honourable Minister is not even aware of what is happening right under his nose? Does he even report for work?

Mr. Lubinda should not try to be smart. This is not an issue of Jam, this is about people’s health. Whether am politically relevant or not is a non-issue.

We challenge Mr Lubinda to order Shoprite to retract their advert on the importation of GMOs and to tender a public apology. Failure to which it will not be far fetched to conclude that someone in the high corridors of power within the PF government is lining his pockets with pieces of silver over this scam.

Mr. Lubinda, it is my duty as a citizen to alarm the nation when its elected officials want to mortgage the people’s health for the love of money.

Issued by:

Edith Nawakwi,

FDD President.

34 COMMENTS

    • Zambians never cease to amaze me. You already eat GMO’s. If you think all the food you eat is organic, then I have a bridge to sell you! Next time you go shopping at your favorite supermarket, take the time to read food labels. You will be shocked at what you will find! And remember that KFC chicken you love so much? 100% GMO!

    • In the last few months, there are at least two other business entities that have placed ads in the local papers announcing intentions to import GMO cornflakes, etc and inviting people to submit any objections to the National Biosafety Authority.

    • I agree with @ Dalitso. Zambians have been eating GMO’s since the first opening of Shoprite. How many people in Zambia read food labels?

      It’s true what they say, “if you want to hide something from a black man, put it in writing”.

    • In politics you can either choose the right leaders to do the right things or elect the wrong leaders and beg them to do the right thing. In the next elections vote SMART leaders at all levels who produce (Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Time bound) results. God bless Zambia.

    • In the Western World we eat GMOs and that’s why we grow so big. So what’s a big deal? In fact GMOs will help eliminate stunted growth in most Zambians. Look at the big footballers from Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Cameroon, they all eat GMOs. If you continue shunning GMOs Chipolopolo will always look like under 17.

    • GMOs are banned in Europe.
      It is true that they are wide spread in Africa. Monsanto recently was supplying GMO maize seed that when planted once produces maize that can not be replanted as it did not germinate, only eaten so the farmer had to buy seed from them again.

    • Biosafety Act No. 10 of 2007

      REGULATION OF ACTIVITIES RELATING TO GENETICALLY MODIFIED
      ORGANISMS
      REGULATION OF ACTIVITIES RELATING TO GENETICALLY MODIFIED
      ORGANISMS
      10. (1) A person shall not research on, develop, produce,
      import, export, transit, carry out any contained use, release or place
      on the market any genetically modified organism or any product
      of a genetically modified organism or deal in any manner with any
      genetically modified organism or a product of a genetically
      modified organism without the prior approval of the Authority.
      (2) Sub-section (1) applies to any traditional breeding method
      which results in or is likely to result in any genetically modified
      variety.

    • Clearly Nawakwi is talking from a point of ignorance and has probably never even seen the Biosafety act. Does the above quotation say that the government banned GMOs? NO! If I want to deal in GMOs, I have to apply to the Biosafety authority and if they grant me a permit, then I can start doing research on GMOs or start importing GMOs. It is subject to approval. Zambians start talking about issues using facts and not hearsay or political maneuvers

    • Clearly Nawakwi is talking from a point of ignorance and has probably never even seen the Biosafety act. Does the above quotation say that the government banned GMOs? NO! If I want to deal in GMOs, I have to apply to the Biosafety authority and if they grant me a permit, then I can start doing research on GMOs or start importing GMOs. It is subject to approval. Zambians start talking about issues using facts and not hearsay or political maneuvers. Unfortunately even the minister does not know what the law says concerning GMOs.

    • If RB is indeed the Godfather of PF, why is this guy still minister? Remember how he celebrated when RB’s immunity was removed?

  1. Given is a meow (word that starts with a ”p” ends with a “y” and has a double s in it) no wonder he was put on hold for so many years he is useless. A used condom has more usefulness than this meow.

  2. PF officials do not know what is happening in thier ministries, busy stealing or escorting lungu to the airport or to open malls.

  3. Madam Nawakwi this guy picks up K5pin every Friday afternoon from Shoprite Manda Hill, I was in the Manager’s office 2 weeks ago when I was paying by credit card. He simply walking and signed a petty slip! Ama bosses kabili, after 2 years lambwaza!

  4. djsmuzzi,
    Come out of Zambia for just two weeks and stay in a hotel of your choice. Eat every meal (breakfast, lunch, and supper). Then go back to your home and find out your new weight. Book your wife in any hotel within Zambia also for two weeks and let her eat (breakfast, lunch, and supper). Find the difference in weight gains. My friend the food you eat whether chicken or meat from hungry lion or hyena is GMO. And ask yourself what has happened to you ever since you started eating these foods. Your chidren enjoy chips. Even chingovwa (sweet potatoes) are GMOs. Don’t listen to cheap politics of Nawakwi. In fact Nawakwi looks like that becauce of the GMO chickens she enjoys. These are not politics but empty messages.
    Even some lotions being used are GMOs

  5. #Patrick, i told everyone that most PF ministers are just KK Airport ministers. You’re very right. if one brings things which are banned in Australia, they’ll be charged and the goods will be destroyed. Lubinda has been involved in LCC land selling scandals and is no longer relevant

  6. gmos are not bunned in Europe period! Poor zambian are subjected to funny debate I remember how we debated sim registration even some people claiming that in the western world you don’t register so no need in zambia

  7. GMOs will save this nation from poverty. RSA, Brazil, India, USA, China have GMOs and are our biggest trading partners. Only blind politicians like Nawakwi can ignore this.

  8. We say NO to GMO’s. Simply for the fact we will become enslaved to the seed providers and worse still for environmental issues…it’s not a mooting point, there are issues.

  9. Nawakwi is firing blanks, you have been feeding your family GMO’s since the birth of democracy in Zambia 1991. The world would go hungry without GMO’s and Nawakwi should know all this but she decides to make political capital from her ignorance

    • Very dull chap! Scientists who have done research on GMO have been ostracised. But evidence is there that GMO affect the liver, the nutritional value of GMO foods is lower and they pollute the environment.

    • Nkami Yavuta, you seem to be the dull one here. You don’t just come to a forum like this one and claim, “evidence show.” Can you give a reference so that we know for certain that GMOs are bad. I quoted the Biosafety Act and put it our for you. Show us that evidence

  10. Truth be told, We eat we know not what!If GMOs be the remedy to immunity against low rainfalls,more tastier foods and high yields, who are we to defy the odds.Lets not act like archaic ignoramus beings who believed that the earth was flat and looked at the stars with the ignorance of a cat starring at the moon! Let us embrace change for our well-being!

  11. Those opposed to scientific progress should move to Mars or the moon and restart the evolution process all over again!

  12. what are GMOs? From the bio safety act one would infer all hybrids are GMOs.if that is true it would include broiler chickens, Friesian cows, etc and that would clearly make madam Nawakwi’s argument futile. We are already victims of so much scientific and social toxicity largely due to so called globalisation that we are better off accepting them as managerial challenges particularly at individual level instead of trying to put up collective resistance

  13. As a matter of fact madam Nawakwi was a front runner in the liberalisation of the Zambian economy and surely must have known where that would lead to; possibly free trade/open markets/democratisation and all the crap.Can madam also talk about the ‘GMO cars’ on our roads? by and large what the world is telling you and I is, ‘the choice is yours’ and this can be tough for poor economies like ours. Many people are learning to fall back on indigenous breeds and products.Government could help with policy measures that would put strong checks on imported seed and gamete types to protect our soils and indigenous breeds from contamination .

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