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By LEVY BANDA

ZAMBIA has been grappling with the challenge of increasing agriculture production by increasing yields and reducing pests in the country’s quest to enhance food security. 

In fact, the challenge is even bigger now than ever before because of the temptation to introduce Zambian farmers to the use of biotechnology in their agricultural activities.

And it is US-based firms and organisations that have been spearheading and popularising such unsustainable agro methods characterised by toxic chemicals, but is contributing to several environmental challenges and reducing the country’s climate change resilience. 

In 2002, late president Levy Mwanawasa’s regime faced major challenges from American and European influencers who were keen to introduce genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the country. 

President Mwanawasa must be turning in his grave today because the decisions he made against biotechnology, especially GMOs and the use of toxic chemicals in farming have been overturned and these technologies have taken centre-stage. 

Bayer Crop Science is a sub-division of Bayer, an American corporation that provides a wide range of products and services that they claim to enable sustainable agriculture for farmers. 

A research in Chongwe,  45 kilometres from Lusaka, the capital city found  that Bayer Crop Science is involved in the production of GMO seeds, seed treatments, herbicides, insecticides, and other products. 

The company claims these products and chemical help farmers to control pests and weeds and maximise crop production. 

Apart from agriculture chemicals, Bayer Crop Science is also involved in the production of aspirin, Yasmin birth-control pills and a stroke prevention drug Xarelto. 

Recently, Bayer Crop Science were accused of producing and spreading agriculture and birth control products that contained ingredients, which had cancer causing cells, but the company quickly denied the claims that its product like the weed killer Round-Up which is a product of Glyphosate go against science. 

The company claims the product got clearance from the US-based Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

But farmers from different parts of rural and peri-urban Zambia have horrific experiences with the weed killer Round-Up, while some have been left with graphic life changing bodily scares after inhaling or coming in contact with the agro-chemicals from Bayer Crop Science. 

There is a large farming bloc called Kanakantapa in Chongwe where a promising young farmer has been left with life changing wounds as a result of a glyphosate-based weed killer called Round-Up, a product of US agrochemical dealer Bayer Crop Science.

In an interview in Kanakantapa recently, Mr Clement Kalima, aged 27 said he had part of his face burnt-out by Round-Up when he was working on his Sunflower farm during the 2022 farming season. 

“My eye-sight is so poor, I literally have no sense of smell and my skin is burnt because I chose to use Round-Up. My life will never be the same again,” he said. 

Round-Up is a weed killer that has affected millions of users in Zambia and scientists are carrying out studies to ascertain its contents after some farmers developed tumours and lumps that looked like lymphoma.

In 2022, Reuters News Agency reported that the U.S. Supreme Court had rejected Bayer’s bid to dismiss legal claims by customers who contend its Round-Up weed killer causes cancer as the company sought to avoid potentially billions of dollars in damages. 

The use of agriculture chemicals in production systems destroys soil fertility, microbial life and wider biodiversity. It poisons useful pollinators and natural processes to protect against diseases. 

Farming is the biggest income earner among the majority of rural Zambians. One of the biggest challenges facing the sector is that farmers are being encouraged to use highly toxic chemicals by US-based profit-oriented agribusinesses to fight weeds, but environmentalists and other scientists have warned of grave consequences such as rapid land degradation. 

“I feel betrayed by this weed killer, Round-Up. I was hoping this chemical will help to keep my farm healthy but instead it brought me problems. My life has changed negatively and farming using these harmful chemicals almost cost me my life,” Mr Kalima said. 

“I’m tired of using these agro-chemical products from the US. From the time we started planting Dekalb Sunflower seed and using Round Up and glyphosate weed killer, my land has deteriorated and, sometimes the same weed killers also burnt my crops instead of just removing the weeds. This has not been good for biodiversity,” Mr Kalima added.

The Zambia Alliance for Agro-ecology and Biodiversity (ZAAB) conducted research in 2021 and found extensive use of some of the most highly hazardous chemcials, many of these are banned in their countries of manufacture, including the US itself.

The ZAAB National Coordinator Mutinta Nketani says these harmful chemicals were readily available in Zambia despite the long-term impacts on personal health and the environment. 

A research published by Frontiers media states that the commercialisation of the agricultural sector has increased the chemical burden on natural ecosystems, pesticides are chemicals used in agricultural lands, public health programmes and urban green areas.

Zambian farmers have been made to adapt their agriculture practices to harmful agro-chemicals supplied by Bayer Crop Science and this has happened largely because the rural farmers are oblivious of the environmental consequences of the materials.  

Mr Rodgers Mufwamba is also a peasant farmer in Chongwe who is grappling with challenges of soil erosion and rapid land degradation, which has destroyed the biodiversity because he has consistently used synthetic and hybrid seeds from Bayer Crop Science on his land. 

An urgent strategic approach is needed for a reduction in the use of agrochemicals and for the implementation of sustainable agriculture practices. 

There is need for more sustainable and safe methods of agro-production in Zambia. From the onset, it is apparent that the technologies and solutions from Bayer Crop Science is contributing to problems climate change and diminishing agro-production. 

By NATION REPORTER
The sudden appreciation of the Kwacha will injure Zambia’s economy even more because the country will reach a point where the Bank of Zambia (BoZ) will run out of foreign reserves, Socialist Party (SP) spokesperson Frank Bwalya has said.
Mr Bwalya challenged Minister of Finance and National Planning, Situmbeko Musokotwane to tell Zambians what has happened to cause the sudden appreciation of the Kwacha.
He said the appreciation of the Kwacha may be artificial because the UPND government had a tendency of releasing United States dollar reserves from BoZ to create an impression that the local currency was gaining value.
Mr Bwalya said Dr. Musokotwane was on record as having said that there were certain steps that should be taken, which included the successful conclusion of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal to reduce pressure on the Kwacha against the US dollar and other convertible currencies.
“But we have not seen the IMF deal come through, we suspect they have offloaded our foreign reserves to give the kwacha a temporary appreciation,” he said.
He said the government was doing to the kwacha the same thing it did to inflation where liquidity was mopped up from the economy to portray that the economy was on a downward trend.
Mr Bwalya said the inconsistency of the kwacha from the time the UPND government took over power had caused a lot of damage.
Mr Bwalya said in one moment, the Kwacha was losing value and business people took advantage of the situation to buy the dollar and a little while later, the Kwacha would appreciate and the people who bought the dollar would not know what to do with it.
He said Government had failed to put in place sustainable measures to improve the economy and had now resorted to experimenting.

 FIVE days after her release from a correctional facility where she was detained for about 402 days, former Patriotic Front(PF) deputy secretary general Mumbi Phiri has announced her decision to contest the PF presidency. And Ms Phiri says she holds no grudge against President Hakainde Hichilema over her detention on a charge of murder, an […]

 Oftentimes people question my position on various social matters; politics, religion, love and life in general. Whenever such questions are presented to me, I am restrained from bursting into impulsive elucidations to prevent confusing the questioner. For that reason on this incoming project, I have given my pensive melodious expressions on various affairs and if […]

Targeted testing for HIV in emergency departments has great potential for increasing diagnoses, this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Copenhagen, Denmark, (15-18 April), will hear.

THE government has a serious task at hand to resolve the food (mealie-meal) crisis which has hit almost all major towns.

For many Zambians, food means having mealie-meal and it is this national staple food, which government has   to ensure is available to its population. People are not asking that the mealie-meal be given free to them but that it should be made available and at affordable prices.

The developments leading up to this current mealie-meal crisis can be traced back to the 2021/22 agricultural marketing season when the first delay of inputs distribution manifested.

This was further compounded by a chaotic input procurement and distribution for 2022/23 when things fell apart. Not only were the procurement processes cancelled on more than two occasions but this also ended up in court.

Clearly this did not bode well for agriculture sector and in particular the farming sector dealing in the production maize.

The foundation of any national food security lies in a stable agriculture sector where procurement of inputs and the subsequent distribution are well established and structured. The manifestation of a mealie- meal crisis reflects shambolic systems witnessed in the last few years.

This is also a warning to Government to sharpen its tools and learn to do things better. 

We agree with the observations of a civil society organization in Solwezi has that the mealie-meal shortage in the country if not well handled, will result into history repeating itself.

Justice for Just Communities Foundation Executive Director, John Kalusa said this is because indicators are as real as reports of mealie-meal shortage in almost all parts of the country.

Mr Kalusa states that Government should be courageous enough by ensuring that it puts measures in place that will make the country food secure.

“Otherwise, if this situation is left like that and not handled properly, we will have a serious crisis,” Mr Kalusa said.

Mr Kalusa’s comment follows countrywide reports of mealie-meal shortages and increased commodity price.

Like many others, Mr Kalusa has proposed    that in order to ensure stability in the supply of mealie-meal on the local market, a ban on exports to neighbouring countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) should be put in place.

Apart from banning the export of maize and mealie- meal, there is need to ensure that all porous border crossing points are sealed because smuggling of maize is also rampant.

In the DRC, mealie-meal is fetching prices higher than what is locally obtaining. A 25kg breakfast bag across the Kasumbalesa border goes for nearly K500 while on the Zambian side it is selling at slightly over K200. This is what is spurring smuggling of the commodity into the neighbouring DRC.

Government should therefore seal the illegal border entry points as well as stop the export of both maize and mealie-meal until the local demand is fully met.

For now, there should be more effort to bring in more maize for millers not only to stabilize prices but ensure that people find mealie-meal in shops.

 There will be no need for anyone to be queueing to buy mealie-meal if this is made available.

 TWO Ndola sisters been arrested for allegedly trying to blackmail famous social media personality,Lilian Mutambo’s husband, Hagai Lupiya, whom they captured in a clip purportedly kissing an unknown woman. The suspects, Thandiwe Phiri and Memory Phiri, are believed to have taken photos and a video of Mr Lupiya who was allegedly kissing some woman who […]

A 96-YEAR-OLD woman who was raped was allowed to testify from a vehicle within the premises of the Lusaka Magistrate Courts as she has been unwell since the incident.

The victim testified before Magistrate Amy Masoja in a case in which Wilson Zulu, aged 30 is accused of raping her.   He threatened to kill her if she revealed the ordeal to anyone.

Zulu is accused of rape contrary to Section 132 and 133 of the Penal Code Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.

It is alleged that Zulu also threatened to kill the victim if she screamed.

The victim said she was able to identify the man because she often asked him to fetch some water within the neighbourhood as he lives about 15 metres from her house.

It is alleged that Zulu on January 16, 2022 in Lusaka had carnal knowledge with a woman without her consent.

The victim said on the material day around 22 hours, she was in her house bathing and later went onto her bedroom to apply lotion on her body when she heard a small stone thrown on her roof.  She asked who was throwing a stone but she did not get a response.

She narrated that she heard another stone thrown on the roof and later heard loud bang on the door forcing it open.

“Immediately the door opened, there was light in the room and I saw someone sneaking in. Asked who it was, there was no response and the person grabbed me and got a blanket and closed my mouth.

He also got a mosquito net and wrapped it around my head. He grabbed my hands and pulled my legs and pushed me on the bed and raped me,” she said.

She said she shouted for help but no one came to her aid and the man threatened to kill her if she screamed.

“The accused used to fetch water for me.  After raping me, the he left the house and went to his house, I was scared to scream because I thought I would be killed. I then reported the matter to the vice chairperson of the community,” she narrated.

Trial continues.

MINISTER of Sports Youth and Arts Elvis Nkandu says Government will not get involved in Enock Mwepu’s private life after the former Chipolopolo captain is said to have received healing for his hereditary heart condition which forced him into early retirement.

Mwepu, who featured for EPL outfit Brighton and Hove Albion before he was forced into early retirement for medical reasons believes he has been healed by South-African Pastor John Anosike of Word Faith in Cape Town.

In a recent interview with the Church, Mwepu disclosed that his heart problem began in October last year when he was travelling for an international game and a friend gave him a sweet which made him to collapse.

Nkandu said government would not comment or involve itself on Mwepu’s case for fear of being misunderstood by the public.

Nkandu said the government can only come in when the player himself seeks an audience with his ministry which is in charge of Sports Youths and Arts.

“I have not talked to him, but I think that is something the government should not get into. We don’t want to be misinterpreted. That is his personal life and I think we can only come in when we feel everything has been exhausted so for now we may not comment on anything because we are not even sure of what is happening,” Nkandu said.

“That is a personal issue and we believe he will be able to navigate through it. When he feels like coming to us he will come to us but as Government we cannot comment on that,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nkandu reafirmed the government’s commitment to revamp Independence Stadium in Lusaka after Green Buffaloes failed to do so according to the MOU signed between the two parties for the renovation of the historical stadium.

“Revamping of Independence Stadium, yes we have an MOU with Green Buffaloes that they should help us rehabilitate the infrastructure but I must say that they have not done according to what we had agreed so we are looking at that also as government after all it is just very near to Heroes Stadium,” Nkandu said.

“As we rehabilitate Heroes Stadium we cannot leave Independence Stadium just like that so we also have some plans to make sure that something is done,” he said.

He said government was also determined to build malty sports infrastructures in all provinces.

By NOEL IYOMBWA

THE New Dawn Government has so far failed to fix the economy as promised in the campaign promises before the 2021 presidential and general elections, Shiwang’andu Member of Parliament (MP), Stephen Kampyongo has said.

Mr Kampyongo told Millennium Radio in an interview that people had a lot of expectations from the UPND.