Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, who has refused donations of genetically modified corn to alleviate his country’s hunger crisis, asked his people on Thursday to remain patient as scientists investigate the issue.
The government decided last month to reject corn donations from the United States, by far the largest donor to the southern African hunger crisis, because some of the food was genetically modified.
The government said it worried the food could be poisonous, though UN agencies have certified it as safe.
Mwanawasa said on Thursday the action was a precautionary measure.
”To date nobody has given foolproof scientific evidence on the safety of genetically modified foods,” he said.
He also accused international media of falsely reporting that Zambians were starving.
According to the United Nations, 2,9-million Zambians are at risk of hunger in the coming months and many are already suffering from food shortages.
”It is unfortunate that in an endeavor to force this government to reverse its decision, a false picture is being painted to the outside world that people in Zambia are dying from starvation,” Mwanawasa said.
A team of Zambian scientists is currently traveling to the United States, Europe, India and Mexico to learn about genetically modified food.
If they say it is safe, the government will reverse its decision, Mwanawasa said.
If not, the government will find ways to make up for the enormous grain shortfall, he said, an assertion many aid workers consider doubtful.
The United Nations estimates 14,4-million people in Zambia and five other Southern African countries – Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Lesotho and Swaziland – urgently need help to avoid mass starvation caused by erratic weather and exacerbated by government mismanagement in some countries. – Sapa-AP