MTOLO, STOP FOOLING ZAMBIANS
IT is important that Government starts to respect the wisdom of Zambians and stop taking them for granted.
Zambians will continue to ask whether the Ministry of Agriculture is in the right hands under the stewardship of Minister of Agriculture Mtolo Phiri.
The minister has been on record making pronouncements especially on the floor of the National Assembly which do not appear to work for the country.
People may recall that he did say recently that “We shall not stop exporting maize because we still have enough maize. What has happened, the country is in crisis.
Now, Mr Phiri while on the of floor of the house on Tuesday did indicate that the Genetically Motivated Organisms (GMO) mealie meal being imported from South Africa for onward transmission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is is not a health risk and does not kill upon consumption.
Mr Phiri told Zambians not to demonise the GMO mealie meal and other products on account that there is a certain content of the GMO that is allowed in the country.
Mr Phiri said the GMO mealie meal that was being stocked at Kasumbalesa was not meant for the Zambian market but for the DRC and that Zambians should not be worried about the availability of the South African mealie meal on the local market.
During the question and answer time after delivering his ministerial statement in Parliament yesterday, Mr Phiri said the government would soon be stocking all the border areas with GMO mealie meal as a measure to secure the Zambian mealie meal from being smuggled.
The revelations by the minister that the GMO products are not harmful is a clear indication that Zambians are consuming the product.
The borders which the minister is mentioning where the GMO mealie meal is being stocked have Zambians there – they are the main market.
It is good to remind the minister that it has been scientifically proven that GMO products increases its production of toxins at levels and it is harmful to humans.
Some genetically modified foods have been reported to be void of nutritional value.
The findings also suggested that by making a plant more resistant to pests, the antioxidant phytochemicals are reduced. Hence, by genetically modifying foods, quantity is compromised over quality.
If really the minister had taken thorough research on the effects of GMO products, he cannot have the courage to mislead the people on the floor of the house.
It is important that leaders are sincere on how they handle national matters because this borders on people’s lives.
The minister should apologise to Zambians for misleading them.
There is no guarantee that the imported GMO mealie meal from South Africa would not find its way into Zambian pots at the border areas since we have not even been told whether someone should produce an identity document before buying to prove he or she is a foreigner.
As has been aptly observed, what makes it difficult for the Congolese to import mealie meal directly from South Africa than rely on middlemen – Zambia – that would double the cost to DR Congo.
Something is amiss.