The sale and cultivation of GMO maize has been banned in Zimbabwe

Deputy Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Vangelis Haritatos has warned that those who illegally sell genetically modified organism (GMO) maize to farmers for planting will be prosecuted.

During a briefing for journalists in Harare last week, Haritatos said the government would allow the importation of GMO maize but it could not be distributed to farmers for planting and if buyers and sellers were caught doing so, they would face the wrath of the law.

“We allow GMO maize to be imported into the country but we don’t want it to be distributed to our farmers. We believe that if corn is sold to our farmers, it is tantamount to prosecuting the person who sold the corn, whether the farmer or the seller buys it. We will prosecute both because both will be offside.”

“So we are not allowing those who import to sell maize to farmers to grow it on their farms. If you are caught selling maize and we discover that maize, unfortunately, you will definitely be prosecuted.”

“The law has to have consequences and in Zimbabwe we cannot allow that to happen. So, I think let’s give everybody a warning: let’s follow what the law says and let’s not complicate the situation when it should not be complicated,” the deputy minister said.

He made it clear that commercial importers could approach authorized bodies for maize imports, which would be scrutinized by the National Biotechnology Authority of Zimbabwe (NBAZ).

“Our country should only rely on imports within the commercial sector. So, those who want to import maize can approach GMAZ, CMAZ and other flour millers who want to import but they have to bring the grain they need.”

“The GMO corn has to be brought to the plant and it will be milled under the supervision of NBAZ, the National Biotechnology Authority, or it can be sold for livestock feed and run through the feed mill again,” Haritatos said.

However, the government insists that corn stocks are sufficient and the country will not need to import additional products.

“So, we as the government of Zimbabwe have no immediate intention of importing maize into the current season’s stocks.

As I mentioned, we already have a significant amount of stocks in our NWRs (strategic grain reserves) and we strongly believe that this is sufficient until next year’s harvest,” Haritatos said.

Tags: corn, Zimbabwe