Govt acts to speed up maize importation

Zambia's agriculture minister, Mundia Sikatana, says the government has decided to waive a requirement that scientists check whether duty-free maize imported from South Africa has been genetically modified in order to speed up shipments. This follows complaints by the Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) and the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) that the requirement to test for GM organisms had delayed maize imports meant to avert hunger. The maize crop failed in the most recent drought and up to 1.7 million Zambians are now threatened by hunger, forcing President Levy Mwanawasa to declare a national disaster and appeal for international relief. "There is no problem now - everything is smooth and stocks will start rolling in as soon as possible," Sikatana told IRIN, "the scientific check the millers complained about has been removed." ZNFU complained that the "red tape" had delayed the arrival of maize stocks in the country, on top of delays at the borders, and appealed for the waiver of a 15 percent duty on imported maize to be extended beyond 31 December. "So far, only 7,000 mt of maize has arrived in the country, out of the required - or authorised - 200,000 mt, and this is a matter of concern to us. Also, other countries, such as Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), ordered maize from South Africa before Zambia [did]," Songowayo Zyambo, executive director of the ZNFU, told IRIN. Zyambo also expressed concern that if maize imports from South Africa were delayed any further it would disturb next year's maize marketing period and distort the markets. "We don't want a situation where duty-free or subsidised maize starts competing with local maize," he explained. The British government responded on 9 December to Mwanawasa's declaration of a national food disaster by giving Zambia a US $6.9 million grant to buy relief food for vulnerable groups. Initially the government was reluctant to admit that Zambia was facing a critical food shortage and said the country had stocks of cassava and potatoes that could replace maize, the staple food. Zambia last experienced a critical food shortage in 2002, when drought and floods affected different parts of the country, leaving up to three million Zambians in need of relief food.