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"content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker. I stand to support the Bill. We are talking about the Biosafety Bill, we are putting in place safety and regulatory mechanisms so that we can, through an Act, regulate any GMOs that come into or exist in this. We want to allay the fears that have been expressed by hon. Members that GMOs--- I think it is the name that has fuelled the fears. These are genetically modified organisms! That is simple and straightforward English: It is not science! However, genetics is science. We want to be very clear here that we do not create unnecessary fear in the public; that GMOs are coming in with complications, health problems or lack of food. We are not introducing GMOs now. They are already there! It has been said in this House that GMOs from outside are coming into the country uncontrolled. We are also researching as a country. Our scientists are in business today, and are researching on how to improve our food production. What we are doing, through the research, is improving food genetically: Change the genetic formation of the foods so that we can have enough. We are talking about starvation and I am surprised--- Where is the Assistant Minister? He is away! He is in charge of - I happen to be a veterinarian - the Ministry of Livestock where there are scientific researchers, who are working on how to improve our livestock. Each day people are breeding. There are breeders around, and we are improving the quality of our animals, be it poultry or livestock. We are looking at changing the animals. We want animals that are disease resistant. We want to increase production, and speed up their growth rate. These are the issues we are addressing 3768 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES December 2, 2008 here. We are saying that rather than having it done without regulation, let us have this Bill to put in place the regulatory mechanism. I think there is a misunderstanding here; some hon. Members want to express a lot of fears about the unknown. If we do not know what effects the GMOs will come with, why are you scared of the unknown? Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, we are talking of food scarcity in this country. As much as there may be some mismanagement in the Government side; strangely, it is a Minister who is telling us that there is mismanagement. Today, I think the Government should swap positions with the Backbenchers! Here, we are talking about food security. One, it may be mismanagement. Two, we want to improve on the disease resistance of our crops. We want also to improve on the maturity of crops. There are areas which are dry. We need those genetically- modified crops so that we are able to grow them within a short span of time when there is rain. They will mature within the period when we have enough rain. We are looking at those benefits that we get from the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). We want to put in place a law that will ensure that as we introduce these GMOs, we ensure that we have not introduced any other adverse effects into the country. Why are we trying to give the public an impression that there is an unknown coming into our country and we want to mystify the whole process of putting in place a law? We have depended for too long on food aid. The food that comes into this country--- The Assistant Minister who has just left comes from a region that is dependent on food aid that we get from those countries that he has mentioned here. It is foreign food that is genetically-modified, which comes in without our regulation. We are not controlling it. We are now receiving food aid and saying: \"So long as we survive today on that food, it is good for today.\" We do not know what other effects will come. Even if that food is aid, when it comes into our country, we must understand what it is, as much as we want aid. So, let us not mystify and confuse the public. We want to introduce the public here now as if they have been debating other Bills that we have debated before. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) need modified seeds for them to grow sufficient food and self-sufficient on food. Therefore, it is very important that we support this Bill, so that when we talk of producing enough food, we are able to do so because we have modified our seeds to be what we want. It is important to note that even in our horticultural industry, it is clear - and hon. Members need to know - that we have modified all the products. That is why we have those varieties, including the maize seed. All these seeds are modified. The only thing that we are doing here is making the hon. Members understand that they are feeding on GMOs. If they did not know this, I wish to tell them and the whole country, that we have all the time depended on GMOs, be it animal produce or crops. Therefore, if there could have been an adverse effect then we should have had it by now. We should be getting examples highlighted here; that we fed on this particular substance and it had this effect. People are feeding on the same. We have variety maize seeds like 625, 614 and so on. We have varieties also in the horticultural industry and all these Members are feeding on it every other day everywhere. The tissue culture banana is in our market and houses. We should not confuse the public; we have GMOs and if that is the fear, they are already with us. Now, we are introducing a law so that we are able to regulate it. We need a framework to control and know what we have exactly and what it is that we are allowing into our country, so that we do not let any product that we do not understand, come into our country without regulation. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, the health problems that are being highlighted here have no basis nor environmental problems. What is important is to keep pace with the rest of the world in changing and introducing this Bill, so that we are also able to regulate and monitor those who support us and come into our country with their products. We will be able to stop whatever is adverse and accept what we feel will not be affecting our population. December 2, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3769 With those few remarks, I beg to support the Bill."
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