Zimbabwe reconsiders GM grain

Crops have failed across the country

Zimbabwe's Government will accept 20,000 tonnes of food aid to feed hungry Zimbabweans, according to United States officials.

We do have an indication of preparedness on the part of the Zimbabwe Government to accept 20,000 metric tonnes of food

US spokeswoman Heather Lippitt

A spokeswoman for the US embassy in Harare, Heather Lippitt, told the UN information network, IRIN, that she understood it was on the condition that the maize was milled before being imported.

She said a series of meetings had been held since Monday to discuss who could mill the maize and where.

Two months ago, Zimbabwe, stricken by a food shortage, rejected a US maize consignment because it was not certified as free of genetically modified organisms.

Zimbabwe's food crisis
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Fears have been expressed that, if any GM maize is planted, it could contaminate crops making it harder for African farmers to export their products - especially to Europe.

There have been suspicions that the American Government is pursuing a commercial goal of seeking to promote the spread of GM food.

Famine fear

Once the bread basket of the southern African region, Zimbabwe now needs food aid after drought and the invasion of white-owned farms slashed output of maize, the staple food.

As many as six million Zimbabweans may need food aid

Aid agencies say somewhere between four to six million people will need food aid this year.

The US Agency for International Development (USAid) gave the country a 1 August deadline to take the 20,000 tonnes of maize.

And USAID official Roger Winter warned that Zimbabwe could suffer from a famine by September if the government continued to refuse the food aid.

He dismissed safety fears about the food, saying it was being eaten in the United States every day.

GM fears

A number of Zimbabwe's neighbours have also been concerned about passing on GM maize to their people.

While Malawi says it has no choice but to accept GM maize, Mozambique, where Malawi's food aid has to pass through, has asked the World Food Programme to cover it with plastic sheeting to avoid spillage while in transit.

In Zambia, President Levy Mwanawasa has said his government will have to examine donated GM food and establish its safety first before giving it to the hungry.

Lesotho and Swaziland have been accepting GM maize.

At least 14 million people in southern Africa are facing starvation after two years of floods and drought in the region.

	:	Southern Africa famine
In pictures: Southern Africa famine

And the UN World Food Programme is deeply concerned about the level of response to its appeal for aid.

A month ago the agency launched a drive for $570m to help people in southern Africa survive until the harvest next year. But so far less than a quarter of that has been raised,

Bad policies have also been blamed for the food shortages and there is a fear that this may have played a part in the poor response from traditional donors.