By Neighbouring country Zimbabwe is being hard hit by the effects of climate change, experiencing serious draught that even threatens the country’s food security, to a point that Zimbabwe has decided to do an about turn on its policy on genetically modified organisms (GMO) and decided to import genetically modified maize and even consider growing it to avert starvation.
Climate change is not exclusively experienced by Zimbabwe, but it affects the entire globe. Responding to The Business Weekly, the Deputy Minister for the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) Nomalungelo Gina said though climate change is a serious thing; South Africa is not in a dire state yet and still has enough food supply to sustain itself.
She said her department is working with other departments like the Department of Agriculture, and also working on international deals the like AGOA in the USA in the poultry sector. South Africa is also participating in the African Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) and the rest of the continent to address the food basket in its current state.
“We are not yet where Zimbabwe is, we can still sustain ourselves. Yes we do import where we are but really as a country, we are not yet in that dire situation but we are working with our neighbouring countries when it comes to the promotion and protection of food basket,” said Deputy Minister Gina.
Gina said South Africa has enough food supply that it has trade agreements with other country whereby the country exports some of its food, like the citrus export to fellow BRICS member state China and other countries; she says there are many other products that South Africa is exporting because the Republic has enough supply.
“We try by all means to protect what we have so that we don’t suffer, but moving forward, we know of the challenges we are faced with, worse when it comes to the issue of climate change; so the Department of Agriculture working together with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, looking at the master plans that we are having, we are trying by all means to say how do we mitigate and make sure that whatever we have, we look at the challenges that we might be having so that in future we don’t find ourselves wanting when it comes to the issue of how do we protect ourselves when it comes to such,” said Deputy Minister Nomalungelo Gina.
