Zimbabwean officials say the country will be importing Genetically Modified maize this year as the southern African nation begins to take action to avert what could be one of the worst famines on record.
Zimbabwe is battling an unprecedented dry spell that has led to the bulk of the 2023/2024 maize crop being a complete write-off.
Although Zimbabwe is one of several African countries that have banned the cultivation or sale of Genetically Modified crops, some advocates have called on its government to take a fresh look and embrace the growing of such crops in the wake of recurring droughts and other conditions associated with climate change.
This year’s maize harvest is expected to plunge by more than half this season; forcing authorities to rely on imports to cover the deficit.
Zimbabwe’s Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuku elaborates, “Food security outlook April 2024 to March 2025 – this is what we deliberated on and we said that (the) private sector must continue to import and they will continue to import maize for human consumption … and we also said that if they wished to import genetically modified maize, they can do so.”
