This is the VOA SpecialEnglish AGRICULTURE REPORT.
A food crisis in southern Africa has added to the debate aboutthe use of genetic engineering in agriculture. The United Nationssays almost thirteen-million people in southern Africa needemergency food aid. U-N officials have urged other countries toprovide food and money. The U-N said only one-fourth of the moneyneeded to provide food assistance has been offered.
America’s top agriculture officialreacted to the U-N report with a statement. Agriculture SecretaryAnn Veneman noted that the United States is the largest provider offood aid to southern Africa. But Mizz Veneman said opponents ofgenetically engineered food have limited the ability of the UnitedStates to send food.
She accused them of providing “misguided statements about theAmerican food system.” She said the goal is to create fear. MizzVeneman said the food the United States is offering is safe and thesame food that Americans eat.
The American official did not name any organization in herstatement. But her spokesman gave Greenpeace as an example.Representatives denied the charges.
Earlier this month, President Robert Mugabe announced thatZimbabwe will accept genetically engineered maize from the U-N WorldFood Program. This was a change in policy. But in Zambia, PresidentLevy Mwanawasa has called genetically engineered food “poison” and”dangerous.”
The Zambian government argues that such food could mix withnative crops. It says a genetically engineered crop could threatenZambian exports. European countries refuse genetically engineeredfood.
More than two-million people in Zambia need emergency food aid.The president says Zambia can produce enough food to last untilDecember. In Malawi, President Bakili Muluzi said any geneticallyengineered food aid must be processed, to protect native crops.
Jacques Diouf heads the U-N Food and Agriculture Organization.Mister Diouf says he recognizes there are concerns about possiblerisks to the environment and to agriculture. But he urged southernAfrican countries to consider scientific information. He says that,based on current knowledge, the food being offered “is not likely topresent a human health risk.”
This VOA Special English AGRICULTURE REPORT was written by GeorgeGrow.