IMPORTING GMO PRODUCTS WILL ABROGATE THE LAW ========
Lusaka, Saturday (April 15, 2023)
Good morning Fellow citizens, the UPND Administration has room to act responsibly to avoid breaking the law through importation of Geneticaly Modified Organisms – GMO products from South Africa.
The Zambia Biosafety Act of 2007 prohibits importation of Geneticaly Modified Organisms(GMOs) products into Zambia. Section 14 of the Act also demands that Zambians be consulted publicly if it became necessary to import GMO products at all costs.
What the upnd government should know is that citizens are worried about the contradictory statements from Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and Government Spokespersons regarding the importation of mealie meal into Zambia.
What should be clear to the Zambian people is that the UPND Administration is about to commit an illegality of importing Genetically Modified Organisms – GMOs into Zambia, against the law.
Fellow citizens, the starting point should have been the UPND Administration referring to the law. We have a law, the Bio Safety Act 2007, which provides for the approval process of importing GMO products into the country.
This law provides for procedures on how GMO products are to be transmitted through Zambia. There is no need for top Government officials to be all over regarding this particular subject. Let them refer to what the law says. The same Act provides for a public hearing.
Zambians must be given an opportunity to speak to the matter as to whether Zambia should import GMO products or transited through Zambia.
The UPND Administration must come out clear. They have put us into this problem which will affect our agriculture sector in the long run.
Framers of the law had a reason why they enacted it, chiefly, to protect the environment, human and animal health.
It was for the same reason that the Scientific Advisory Committee was inserted in the Act to provide for procedures on allowing or disallowing the importation of GMO products.
We are totally against the importation of GMO products because they are harmful to the environment, animal and human health.
The procedures that the UPND Administration is talking about should be in total conformity with the law.
// Brian Muntayalwa Mundubile
Leader of the Opposition in Parliament
Patriotic Front Mporokoso MP