GERMANY DONATES NON-GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS

November 26, 2002
BBC Monitoring - Africa

The government has thanked Germany for responding positively to the
supplying of non-genetically modified foods, GMOs, in the country.

Central Province Deputy Minister Akimson Banda says the government is proud
to have friends who respect its decisions. Mr Banda said this when a German
NGO Adventist Development and Relief Agency, ADRA, donated relief maize
worth more than 120 million Kwacha to Makulu Compound in Kabwe
yesterday. 

He said the government had made a bold decision to reject the GMOs, following
various concerns on the unpredictable effect the foods have on the
environment and on humans.

Mr Banda said Germany's response to the plight of the government was a clear
indication of the warm bilateral relations that exist between the two
countries. The deputy minister advised ADRA to work with the local
institutions in supplying the food to the people in the country.

Source: ZNBC Radio 2, Lusaka, in English 0400 gmt 26 Nov 02.