The Government has warned those selling genetically modified organism (GMO) maize to farmers for planting that they will be prosecuted.
Addressing journalists in Harare last week, Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Vangelis Haritatos, said that both the sellers and buyers of GMO maize will be prosecuted. He said (via NewZimbabwe.com):
We are allowing GMO maize to be imported into the country but what we don’t want is, for it to be distributed to our farmers.
We believe that if any maize is sold to our farmers, this is tantamount to the person who sold it to the individual to be prosecuted whether it’s the farmer buying or the seller. We will prosecute both because both will be offside.
So those that are importing, we do not allow you to sell maize to farmers for them to grow on their farms.
If you are caught selling maize and we find that maize, unfortunately, you will definitely be prosecuted.
The law has to take its toll and we cannot have that in Zimbabwe. So, l think let’s all be forewarned let’s follow what the law says and let’s not make this a difficult situation when it doesn’t need to be difficult.
Haritatos said commercial importers can approach authorised entities for maize imports and the GMO maize will be milled under supervision by the National Biotech Authority of Zimbabwe (NBAZ). He said:
Our reliance on imports as a country must only be within the commercial sector. So those who are looking to bring in maize are welcome to approach GMAZ and CMAZ and other millers who want to import but they must bring in the grain that they require.
The GMO maize must be delivered to a mill and it will be milled under supervision by the NBAZ, the National Biotech Authority, or it can be sold for stock feed and again put through their stock feeds plant.
Haritatos the country has a “substantial amount of stock” in the strategic grain reserves, enough to feed the nation until next summer’s harvest.
However, last week, the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) said it plans to import 1.4 million metric tonnes of maize from Mexico, Argentina and Brazil among others.
Zimbabwe has a grain deficit of over 680 000 metric tonnes mainly due to the El Nino-induced drought which disrupted the 2023/24 summer cropping season.
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