Zambia’s maize harvest is expected to more than double from last year’s 16-year low to a record 3.66 million tonnes, the government announced on Thursday.
Smallholder farmers accounted for 93% of the crop, with large-scale farms accounting for the remainder, Acting Statistical Controller General Sheila Mudenda told reporters in Lusaka.
This year’s output marks a rebound from the 1.5 million tonnes recorded last season, when a drought devastated over half of the country’s cropland.
Acting Minister of Agriculture Sylvia Masebo attributed the recovery to improved rainfall and government support under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), which provides subsidised seed and fertiliser to smallholder farmers.
The economic fallout from last year’s drought is still being felt. The price of maize meal rose by 10.2% in April compared to the same month last year. The government now expects inflation to return to the Bank of Zambia’s target range of 6% to 8% by the end of the year, for the first time since May 2019.
Despite the improved outlook, concerns remain. Ahead of the harvest, a national farmers’ lobby urged the government to ease restrictions on maize exports, warning that a glut in local markets could cause prices to collapse, threatening farmer incomes and discouraging future production. The government announced last week that it had ordered 195,000 tonnes of maize from Tanzania.
ALSO READ | How the latest good news about Zimbabwe’s maize recovery hides an old crisis – low farm productivity
