WELLINGTON: The Vanuatu government has placed a blanket ban on genetically modified seeds being brought into the country as part of the relief effort after cyclone Pam.
The Category 5 cyclone which hit the country on the 13th of March destroyed more than 90 percent of food gardens in the mostly subsistence farming country and the need for seeds has been identified as a priority for the relief effort.
The Director of Biosecurity Timothy Tumukon told Koroi Hawkins the country has traditionally imported normal and hybrid seeds but his ministry draws the line when it comes to genetically modified material.
We are seeing seeds coming in almost every day of the week. These are coming in, but the large consignments that have come in I think there has been two large consignments so far. But small parcels of seeds that are coming as carry on passenger package coming in everyday.
A lot of these seeds that people are wanting to bring in to help their families or relatives or friends that live in Vanuatu. So they have purchased these seeds from seed companies or outlets in either Australia or New Zealand and they bring them in.
Our concerns are mainly on the biosecurity, quarantine issues mainly from those two sources, mainly with genetically modified seeds if there is any. So the precautionary measures that we are applying are that no GM seeds should be brought into Vanuatu. Either from Australia or New Zealand or any other sources or countries for that matter
