Zambia says won't feed refugees GM milled maize
Date: 12-Sep-02
Country: ZAMBIA
The comments from Home Affairs minister Lackson Mapushi appeared to contradict an announcement on Monday from WFP head James Morris, who said the Zambian government would allow the U.N. agency to feed 130,000 refugees with milled GM maize.
"I want to make it clear that the government has not changed the position on GM foods," Mapushi said on state television.
"It is not correct to say we have allowed the WFP to feed refugees with GM maize. The ban from eating GM foods applies to all including refugees," Mapushi said.
Aid workers say that up to 13 million people in six countries - including Zambia - face famine as a result of food shortages brought about by draught and poor management.
Zambia has repeatedly rejected GM food, mainly from the United States, out of concerns over its safety and the environmental consequences of GM grains being planted. Malawi and Zimbabwe have also expressed concerns over the issue.
But milled GM grain has been more widely accepted because it cannot be planted.
"There was about 6,804 tonnes in various (refugee) camps which will now be withdrawn and substituted with non-GM maize," Mapushi said.
Zambia is home to 288,000 refugees from Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes region. The WFP feeds 130,000 of these refugees that are in designated refugee camps.
