Zimbabwe expects a sharp rebound in maize production this year, forecasting a harvest of 2.3 million tonnes—recovering from last year’s devastating drought, the worst in 40 years, which slashed output by over 70%.
Government’s latest crop assessment report says the area under maize increased from 1.7 million hectares in the 2023/24 season to 1.8 million hectares in the 2024/25 season. Cabinet projects that this slight increase, just above its target for the year, will deliver a significantly larger crop. This is despite the figures showing that farmers continue to achieve low yields per hectare, with just 1.27 tonnes per hectare for the season.
“Based on this assessment, maize production in the 2024/25 season is estimated at 2 293 556 metric tonnes, the fourth highest ever production by the country,” Cabinet said Tuesday.
But other projections are more cautious, given how erratic rainfall was in key maize growing areas at the start of the season. In its March update, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) confirmed that Zimbabwe is likely to see a better crop this year. Still, it warned the harvest may fall short of meeting Zimbabwe’s maize needs.
“Early projections suggest improved yields, although national production might remain insufficient to meet domestic demand, necessitating continued grain imports,” FAO reports. “Maize production may show modest recovery compared to the previous season, but will likely remain 10–15% below national requirements.”
FAO says this shortfall is due to “poor rainfall distribution in northern farming (high
production) belts, where cumulative precipitation was 20–30% below average in critical crop-establishment phases”.
In March, the Meteorological Services Department reported that prolonged mid-season dry spells in January and February further stressed crops, especially in communal farming areas, which rely on rain-fed agriculture.
The country consumes 2.2 million tonnes of maize each year, with 1.8 million tonnes used for food and 400,000 tonnes for livestock feed.
Last year, after the drought, the United Nations launched a US$429 million aid appeal to feed 3.1 million Zimbabweans needing urgent food aid.
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