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{
    "id": 1184255,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1184255/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 290,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Emgwen, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Josses Lelmengit",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "costly farm inputs to plant maize and who are harvesting maize, I do not see the reason why the Government should import maize yet farmers have maize in their stores. I do not think it is the right time. The Cabinet Secretary is putting the cart before the horse. He should have waited for maize reserves to be depleted before he imports the deficit, probably in March or April next year when he knows exactly how many bags are needed. We do not need to rush to import GMOs until we have proper laws, policies, rules and regulations to govern their importation. Is the importation meant to lower the cost of maize or is it meant to curb the maize shortage in the country? I ask the ministries of Agriculture and Livestock Development and Trade, Investment and Industry to explain why they made the decision to import GMO maize into the country yet our farmers were expecting to reap after the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic and the high cost of farm inputs. They thought they would make good money to continue with their businesses. I treat farming as a business. This is against the spirit of the bottom-up economic model because no country has ever developed without pursuing agriculture. We have to encourage our farmers to continue farming so that we can have sufficient food in the country. We should not discourage them by importing maize."
}