By Norman Muvavarirwa
Zimbabwe has maintained that it will not embrace genetically modified organisms (GMO) technology despite the country facing imminent hunger threats.
Minister of Agriculture and Mechanisation Joseph Made this week said he would not allow GMO into the country for the purposes of agricultural production.
“We have to protect our own seed, this is why we are putting our efforts into our seed houses,” he said.
This comes as GMO was banned in Zimbabwe in 2006 even though perennial droughts have sparked debate as to whether government should not allow its importation to address food shortage challenges.
To help avert hunger in the coming months the Zimbabwean government to boost food production last week through availing a $161 million input support programme and farming inputs support facility that will benefit at least 1,6 million households in the forthcoming 2013-14 agricultural season.
Zimbabwe has in the past raised concerns over the use of cheaper but unsustainable GMO food production which has a detrimental impact on the environment.
However, Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector has been on a serious decline since the turn of the millennium and the country has been failing to feed itself due to climate change and erratic rainfall.
Analysts say the country requires more than $1 billion in agricultural funding to ensure it regains its former status as the bread basket of sub-Saharan Africa.
This comes as Zimbabwe is facing acute grain shortages, owing to poor harvests experienced in the past seasons.
The ministry of Agriculture’s second crop assessment report indicates that only 798 600 metric tonnes (mt) of maize were harvested in the 2013 season compared to the 968 000 metric tonnes that were harvested in 2012.
This is against a national requirement of 1,8 million mt.
The African Development Bank (AfDB) in its August monthly economic review said although government made efforts to close this huge food deficit of 1 001 400 mt by importing 150 000 mt of maize from Zambia, the deficit would be difficult to fill as there are not enough grain reserves to close the gap.
This is despite the fact that the Grain Millers Association had committed to import up to 160 000 mt to augment government’s efforts.
However the Herald on Wednesday reported that according to the 2013 Rural Livelihoods Assessment conducted in May and June it revealed that about 2,2 million people will require food assistance between January and March 2014.
The assessment was done by the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee, and projected that 1,5 million people are food insecure as the legacy of the dysfunctional inclusive Government that saw MDC-T, which held the finance ministry, starve the farming sector of funding, bites.
The funding woes were compounded by poor rains received in some parts of the country, rendering over 300 000 households food insecure.
There is, however, hope for farmers this year as Government and banks have mobilised a billion dollars to finance agriculture this season.
According to the report, areas facing dire food shortages are Matabeleland South, Masvingo, Midlands and southern parts of Manicaland.
Parts of Mashonaland East and Central have also been severely affected.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made recently said inadequate funding was hampering the movement of maize from Zambia into the country and the distribution of maize from areas of surplus to areas of deficit.
This has resulted in 19 425 tonnes of maize being delivered from Zambia out of the 150 000 tonnes that were sourced on a Government-to-Government agreement.
Minister Made said the Government required about US$60 million to bring in the remaining 137 000 tonnes of maize from Zambia.
He said Zimbabwe has so far paid US$10 million to Zambia and would procure more grain once funds permit.
“We have since written to the Finance ministry for more funds to enable the movement of grain from Zambia,” said Minister Made.
Zimbabwe received poor rains last cropping season, resulting in food shortages.
Some people facing serious food shortages have had to import grain from other areas with supply, while others are selling their livestock in exchange for grain.
According to the report, the 2013-14 consumption year was projected to have 25 percent of rural households’ food insecure, which is an increase of 6 percent, compared to the previous consumption year.
The cumulative energy food deficit for the rural households is estimated at an equivalent of 177 000 tonnes. The assessment projects the spread and depth of food insecurity across the country, covering all the eight rural provinces and districts.
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