U.S. Zimbabwe Emergency Food Dispute Settled

allAfrica.com ^ | August 1, 2002 | Charles Cobb, Jr, Washington, DC

[Clive]

The United States and Zimbabwe have reached agreement on supplying emergency food to the famine-stricken southern African nation, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Walter Kansteiner told allafrica.com Wednesday.

"The government of Zimbabwe has accepted U.S. GM [genetically modified] maize with the proviso either that it come in milled or that, once it arrives in the country, it be milled."

Zimbabwe had refused to accept thousands of tons of genetically altered corn, despite a famine emergency, arguing that if some of the unmilled kernels were sown instead of eaten, they would begin contaminating Zimbabwe's indigenous crop. The Zimbabwe government said that would threaten the country's exports to Europe, which prohibits bioengineered foods.

Zimbabweans, as well as some international analysts, also fear that companies holding patents on genetically engineered seeds would seek to prohibit the traditional practice of saving a portion of the crop to plant the following season.

Asked specifically if Zimbabwe would now be accepting U.S. corn, Kansteiner replied, "correct."

[Clive]

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[backhoe]

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[piasa]

Zimbabwe had refused to accept thousands of tons of genetically altered corn, despite a famine emergency, arguing that if some of the unmilled kernels were sown instead of eaten, they would begin contaminating Zimbabwe's indigenous crop.

If this is corn, as in maize, then Zimbabwe has no 'indigenous' crop. Corn has been genetically engineered from the time it rose to prominence in Mesoamerica onward, long before it made it to Africa. Unfortunately, milled corn doesn't store as well and could more easily become infested. I wonder why we bother at all, since the screwball government is just going to find ways to exploit the gift and little is going to to the people.

[chatham]

Indigenous crops indeed!
this was all predicted when the black Govt. started killing White farmers who kept them fed for years.
America only adds to the killings by feeding these murderers and telling them go kill all the white farmers and we will support you.
Let them get themselves out of the mess they got themselves.
In the meantime Let them Starve to death. They deserve it.
Where are the sanctions that were so effective against south Africa A white Government.

[You Gotta Be Kidding Me]

I was wondering when someone would make that point. I agree, the bastards should starve. Why are we, the taxpayers, asked to save these fools from themselves?

[jimtorr]

Oh, nice. Several million people in Zim tried to throw the bums out, but were defeated by widespread violence and fraud.

Then you say the price of their failure to defeat the criminals in government is starvation? Oh, nice.

[Guillermo]

Do you even think that for one minute that this aid is going to the people who need it most?

Mugabe knows who is against him, and he's going to continue to punish them.

This aid is going to his armies, and the leftovers will likely be sold, so he can add another wing to his palace.

[topher]

One must be "politically correct" before being
concerned with millions of people dying from
famine -- I wish Clinton had said that...

[Michael2001]

What are we doing? Would we have supplied food to Hitler in WWII?