ZAMBIA RECORDS BUMPER HARVEST IN 2024/2025 FARMING SEASON

By CHINTU MALAMBO
Zambia has recorded a bumper harvest in the 2024/2025 farming season, marking a recovery from last year’s drought stricken agricultural output.

Acting Minister of Agriculture, Silvia Masebo, made the announcement during the official release of the Crop Forecasting Survey results in Lusaka.

She announced that the country has produced 4,040,645 metric tonnes of maize, well above the national requirement of 3,539,024 metric tonnes, resulting in a surplus of 501,621 metric tonnes.

“This marks a dramatic recovery from the previous season's output of just 1.5 million metric tonnes of maize, which was heavily impacted by drought,” she said.

Ms Masebo commended the resilience and determination of Zambian farmers, many of whom replanted crops multiple times to mitigate the effects of erratic weather conditions, including dry spells, floods, and early cessation of rainfall.

She acknowledged the severe food and nutrition insecurity that affected nearly six million citizens last season but praised the government’s swift and coordinated response, led by President Hakainde Hichilema and supported by cooperating partners.

“Government interventions included a multisectoral Disaster Mitigation Response Plan, food-for-work programmes, enhanced cash transfers, and community maize sales through the Food Reserve Agency,” she said.

Despite the maize surplus, Ms Masebo pointed out that the country recorded production shortfalls in other key crops, including rice, wheat, and cassava flour.

She said the government remains committed to addressing these deficits by strengthening support programmes aimed at enhancing local production.

Ms Masebo said to manage the maize surplus, government will invest in improved storage infrastructure and expand market linkages.

She also emphasized the importance of stable and predictable trade policies, urging the private sector to play a more active role in agricultural marketing.

“I want to encourage farmers not to panic or sell their hard-earned produce at giveaway prices. We must ensure that farmers get fair value for their efforts,” Ms Masebo said.

She reaffirmed government’s commitment to sustainable agricultural development, with increased support for climate-smart practices, irrigation, mechanization, and farmer access to credit through facilities such as the Sustainable Agriculture Financing Facility (SAFF). -NAIS