Genetically modified food will be a major tool in the fight against
world hunger, despite refusal of some governments to allow in GM food,
says the head of the United Nations World Food Program.
“There are lots of reasons to think that the development of genetically
modified food, in the long run, will be one of the major contributors
to world hunger and world poverty, but there is a huge
misunderstanding,” Jim Morris told the House of Commons foreign affairs
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The misunderstanding includes a refusal by the southern African country
of Zambia to allow GM corn into the country, despite the fact that
millions of Zambians face potential starvation because of drought.
“It is a serious problem,” Morris told an audience at a breakfast
speech in the National Press Club before his Parliament Hill
appearance. “If every country in the region said they would not accept
it, we would be out of business.”
He said the program is convinced the corn sent to Zambia is safe.
But in an interview, a Zambian academic said the country is united in
rejecting GM products. He said non-GM food is available and despite
news reports inspired by GM promoters, no one is dying because of the
decision.
“”Nobody is starving,” said Obed Lungu, dean of the school of
agriculture at the University of Zambia, during an Ottawa conference on
trade negotiations and development. “There is alternate food available.”
Morris agreed there will not be mass starvation but he did not rule out
some deaths.
“I’m optimistic we will find a way to get around this,” said the UN
official. “I think we can do that without a serious loss of life.”
He said the food program does distribute milled GM corn to as many as
130,000 refugees living in Zambia. But the government of Zambia remains
determined to keep GM varieties out of the country.
“We have to sort this out,” he said. “We have to convince them that
this food is safe.”
At the foreign affairs committee, Morris said it is a challenge.
“There is a mythology that’s growing up around this that is very
frightening,” he said.
Meanwhile, Zambia is struggling with the fact that a warehouse was
broken into and several bags of the GM corn were stolen.
While the corn likely was consumed as food, Lungu said there also are
fears that it might be used as seed and the Zambian crop will be
contaminated by GM varieties.
He said the government is demanding that the World Food Program pay for
any damage and help get the unwanted GM corn out of the country.
