http://www.fingaz.co.zw/fingaz/2003/June/June26/4207.shtml National Report Natfoods destroys GMO maize Staff Reporter 6/26/03 10:06:18 AM (GMT +2) THE government has directed National Foods Limited to destroy all the genetically modified (GMO) maize at the firm’s plant in Bulawayo. Livestock producers say the grain which is to be destroyed could be used as stock-feed to save cattle in a region where nearly 50 000 cattle have perished in Matabeleland South alone due to the drought. The Financial Gazette is informed that since Monday, a total of about 3 000 tonnes of the GMO maize had by yesterday been dumped in several disused mine shafts at Turk Mine. This has disappointed cattle farmers, many of them peasants battling to source stock-feed. National Foods last year won a multi-million dollar World Food Porgramme (WFP) contract to mill 13 000 tonnes of GMO maize meal to feed hungry Zimbabweans. Obert Mpofu, the governor and resident minister of Matabeleland North, confirmed in an interview that the government had directed that the GMO maize be destroyed. Mpofu said the state felt the residue was not even fit as stock feed. "It’s an agreement between us (government), and National Foods. "The GMO maize is being milled in a quarantined place as per the agreement reached between us and the two parties in the deal. We will not allow that stuff to be carelessly disposed off. GMO foods are not good for us Africans," said Mpofu. President Robert Mugabe reluctantly allowed WFP and other relief agencies to distribute GMO maize meal owing to serious food shortages caused by poor harvests blamed on the drought and the chaotic land reform. About six million people in Zimbabwe are dependent on the food-hand-outs mainly from WFP. Farmers that spoke to this newspaper queried the government’s decision not to allow the farmers to acquire the destroyed GMO maize to feed cattle, ostriches and other livestock. Ian Kind, the managing director of National Foods, could not immediately comment yesterday as he was said to be attending several meetings. Sources at National Foods told this newspaper that the maize was being transported to the disused mine shafts at Turk Mine by 10 30-tonner trucks. "There is a local firm that won the contract to move and dispose the stuff. The government does not want it to be fed to cattle or for it to leak into fields," said a National Foods official. "The government allowed WFP to feed hungry villagers with GMO maize meal, why not allow us to feed our dying cattle with the maize which is very good stuff for the animals. If the people are eating GMO maize, why not the cattle," a farmer from Turk Mine who witnessed the dumping of the GMO maize told this newspaper. Mpofu expressed concern that farmers were now aware where the maize was being dumped. "In fact we wanted it to be a secret. I am surprised that they have discovered it. No-one except the authorities is supposed to know where the stuff is being destroyed because we don’t want to contaminate our beef or fields," said the governor. "People might abuse the stuff and then we are in trouble. We don’t like these GMO foods and we are not alone in this in Africa," he said. The refusal by the government to allow farmers to use GMO maize as stock feed comes at time when the price of stock feed has gone up by 40 percent. A 50-kilogrammes bag of cattle feed now costs $9 847 compared to $7 000 a bag two weeks ago. Zambia has refused relief agencies to ship in GMO maize.