DESPITE the government’s seemingly hard stance on the consumption of genetically-modified foods (GMOs), Zimbabweans continue to consume them as the country’s agro-based industries are performing way below par, an economist has said.

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Prosper Chitambara, an economist with the Labour and Economic Development Research Institute of Zimbabwe (Ledriz), said because the country continued to be economically incompetent, the majority were relying on food stuffs from neighbouring South Africa, which is the largest producer of GMOs in Africa.

Chitambara said the government needed to come up with economic policies that ensured the economy grew and became competitive.

“There is need for policies that can unlock credit and investment, and ensure that we have a competitive economy, but at the moment we heavily rely on food imports from South Africa,” Chitambara said at a Ledriz informal traders’ workshop in Gweru yesterday.

“Even fruits like apples that come from South Africa are genetically modified.”

Since the decline of Zimbabwe’s economy more than a decade ago, the country has been importing grain, fresh fruit and vegetables and other groceries from South Africa. The government has maintained that the production and sale of products containing GMOs remains banned in the country although critics argue that the ban should be lifted to boost food security.