A lawmaker has called on the Zambian government to consider reviewing its policy on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), so as to enable the country to improve agricultural production, the Zambia Daily Mail reported on Tuesday.

Chifita Matafwali, a lawmaker from the governing Patriotic Front, said there is need to invest in research and development in order to increase agricultural production.

"Other countries are doing it and once we invest in research and development, we can find ways of overcoming the fears associated with the new technologies of boosting production," he was quoted as saying by the paper.

Currently, Zambia, like several other African countries, does not allow the importation of GMO foods or growing genetically modified seed varieties.

The government is in the process of developing a biosafety legislation to regulate GMO products.

In 2002, Zambia was hit by food shortage following a severe drought but late President Levy Mwanawasa rejected an offer by the United States government donating 35,000 tonnes of food on grounds that it was genetically modified and could pose risks to citizens. Endi

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