Civil Society Organisations (CSO) under the Zambia Alliance for Agro ecology and Biodiversity (ZAAB) says they will not accept manoeuvres to introduce Genetically Modified Crops in the country.
The organisations have raised concerns on the safety and impact on agricultural system and socio-economic well-being of farmers of the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) intended to be introduced in Zambia.
In a joint letter to government which was also availed to the media in Lusaka today, the 31 CSOs under ZAAB have rejected in totality the introduction of GMOs in Zambia saying the risks of the GMOs overweighs the benefits.
Community Technology Development Trust Project Manager, Juliet Nangamba who is also ZAAB Executive Committee Member said all the CSOs in agriculture strongly object to the recent moves by the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) to radically change the national position on genetically engineering in the food and agricultural sector.
They have since demanded that the NBA consult the people of Zambia if indeed they want the national position of no-GMOs revoked before continuing to forge ahead with proposed new policy and regulations that are incongruous with current national opinion.
And the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) notes that Zambia stands to lose out on the investment that have been put into the agricultural sector and the market it has established for being a non GMO country over the years if GMO products are allowed in the country.
ZNFU Media and Public Relations Manager, Calvin Kaleyi said Zambia is known for producing non GMO crops that has high demand on the international market which he said should be maintained.
He said ZNFU will engage government at a high level to make the position known that GMO products have been rejected.
Speaking at the same briefing, a small holder farmer Robert Chimambo stated that GMO foods are responsible for many health problems that include cancer and also highly contributes to the water and air pollution hence, the need for all stakeholders to reject the move to introduce them in the country.
Better watch it. We are so disappointed by selfish individuals selling out our land due to kleptomaniac behavior. One sold our mines for brown envelops with serious kick backs and you are secretly trying to feed Zambia with toxic (gene tempered)foods for who knows what? LPM settled this issue until you first turn up with evidence of lack of capacity to feed ourselves on normal foods and the safety of the gene modified organisms. It shut the hell up.
While the other sold cold storage and drunk the money in Chawama na ma hu!e and slept under a banana tree and peed while his friends were investing
Ravin Power SX is pure organic, but you close it because it’s Zambian drink and not Ugandan, mwe mbwaa mwe.
Eish!
I hope those bribed to introduce GM crops in Zambia have not chewed the money already. They will need to return any inducements that they were given.
We have way too many brown envelope syndrome in Zambia.
Keep starving. You are used to it. Starved bodies, Starved Brains
Conduct a proper research and based on your findings represent the people of Zambia. If those you don’t want are found to be the majority then you will have a mandate to represent the people either way. The safe means to reduce poverty should be encouraged.
“Just because my people are hungry, it is no justification to give them poison” This stance on GMO by our late head of state was not just wise and conclusive, it was also a reflection of a honest stance of Us Zambians. The recent change of position on GMOs is indicative of waning integrity. Very suspicious to say the least!!
There can never be any justification for introducing GMO in Zambia other than to serve the selfish interests of multi-national groups. Their sales figures are more important than our people’s health.
Food related disease in industrialized nations are 10 times higher than in countries where natural food is grown. Right now, babies are being born with missing limbs in some parts of France where GMO pesticides are used and doctors are “still investigating” the cause when it is plain enough to see. History has shown that there has always been a high price to pay whenever mankind tried to duplicate the blueprint of nature.
There is a very good justification. Zambia is the hungriest country in Africa, if not the world. We need new technologies to supplement our ineffective and inefficient agriculture. We produce “bumper harvest ” at very expensive cost. The US started consuming GMO foods some time back. Are Americans less healthy than ourselves?
Good day, I recommend you do some extensive research first. It’s no secret that Americans have serious health issues: obesity, diabetes, blood pressure and cancer levels are much higher there than in Africa – all food related. It’s also no secret that more and more people in Europe and America are moving away from the conventional, mass produced food consumption to the traditional, organic products because of health concerns.
It is sad to see Africans embracing everything served to them by the west when they should stick together to find internal solutions for their future generations.
I thought Levy Mwanawasa (MHSRIP) had put the issue to rest, unless we have latest information in public domain to convince the nation otherwise. Recently, i have noted that GMO products have Sneakily found themselves on Zambian shelves. For poor countries like Zambia with mostly very poor health care services, the negative effects of GMO products will just complicate the already donor dependent health needs.