The Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Anxious Masuka, said that the private sector must continue to import maize for human consumption, including importing genetically modified maize but under strict supervision.
Speaking during Tuesday’s post-Cabinet media briefing, Masuka said the food security outlook is made of four components which are: what is in stock, what is likely to be produced in the current season, what is likely to be produced in winter and what is likely to be imported.
He said Zimbabwe allows GMOs to be imported because the country has a very strict framework. Said Masuka:
<blockquote>
This is what we deliberated; we said the private sector must continue to import maize for human consumption, we said if they wish to import genetically modified maize they can do so but that must be under strict supervision.
Zimbabwe was one of the first countries in the SADC region to put in place a GMO (genetically modified organism) policy in 1998 and formed the National Biotechnology Authority, and Zimbabwe allows GMOs to be imported because we have a very strict framework. Perhaps because of the strictness, very few private companies have come on board to do some experiments on GMOs.
In the past, we have applied this model very successfully. It is genetically modified maize not GMO maize.
We said that our food security ought also to be premised on consideration of wheat as a cereal crop, either for direct consumption by people as bread or as a mealie meal or for swap arrangement.
</blockquote>
Meanwhile, the Government has liberalised the importation of grain at the household level with effect from July.
Duty will be waived on the importation of rice, maize, potato seed, cooking oil and genetically modified maize for stock feed, whose milling and distribution will be strictly supervised.
Cabinet also approved the removal of Value Added Tax on rice and potato seed since the two foods are now considered staples.
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