ANALYSIS - Milling a temporary solution to Africa GM debate
Date: 09-Sep-02
Country: SOUTH AFRICA
Author: Toby Reynolds
Caught up in a worldwide debate over the role of genetic engineering in agriculture, some governments in the region are blocking the use of GM maize to fight a looming famine threatening 13 million people.
Now some governments may allow aid workers to distribute ground up maize, a solution that allays some of their fears by ensuring that GM grain cannot be planted locally.
But agencies say this is a costly and short-term solution.
"It is a step forward...but milling is expensive. I wouldn't call it a solution until we know where the money is going to come from," an official from the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) told Reuters.
Drought and bad weather are blamed for the failure of last year's harvests across much of the region, but some observers say ill-advised land policies have also contributed.
Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique have all expressed opposition to feeding their people with maize sourced from the United States, which cannot certify its food donations as GM-free.
They cite fears over the safety of GM crops - a claim rejected by some scientists but supported by public opinion in Europe - and concerns that farmers might save gene-modified maize for use as seed, thus contaminating local varieties.
The United States, the world's leading producer of transgenic crops, has sharply criticised those countries for rejecting food.
"In the face of famine, several governments in southern Africa have prevented critical U.S. food assistance from being distributed to the hungry by rejecting biotech corn which has been eaten safely around the world since 1995," U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Wednesday.
ZIMBABWEANS NOT GUINEA PIGS
Zimbabwe's Agriculture Minister Joseph Made defended his country's position last week: "You cannot use the Zimbabwean population as guinea pigs...There is no way you can bring that material into Zimbabwe."
In recent weeks Zimbabwe and Malawi have negotiated with the WFP to allow GM food aid into the country as flour, presenting what some see as a solution to the aid stalemate.
Milling the maize will prevent it being planted, removing the fear that contamination could damage the potential for future exports to Europe, scientists say.
But milling is expensive, says the WFP, which has received only a third of the $507 million in aid it is seeking for the region. At $25 a tonne, the cost of milling the 700,000 tonnes of maize to be distributed is too high.
"Where is the money going to come from? It is an extra problem for what is already a huge appeal," the WFP official said. "As well as that, if we have to mill before we get food into the countries then it will slow down our whole operation".
MILLING NOT A LONG TERM SOLUTION
"This issue will not go away," said Dr Jocelyn Webster from biotechnology group AfricaBio. "The milling of the maize is a very good short term solution to allay any safety concerns, but those governments need to seek information."
She said that with access to scientific advice, governments would see there was no danger either to health or the environment as the imported maize varieties would not fare well in southern African conditions.
On Tuesday Zambia agreed to a U.S. offer of research assistance, but said the work could take months or even years.
Zambia is the only country affected by the region's food shortage to categorically refuse GM food aid. The WFP says it has stopped distributing transgenic maize to Zambians, and is running out of acceptable substitutes.
Jannie de Villiers, executive director of South Africa's National Chamber of Milling, was more optimistic, saying the current food problems might be overcome by the compromise.
But he agreed that milling was no long-term solution.
"By milling the maize maybe for a season or two then we will be able to get through this problem," he said.
"The trouble is (the donor countries) are all willing to give these people their surplus food
