The country’s minister of agriculture, Reuben Phiri, ascribed the drop to a decline in the area planted from 1,69 million hectares last season to 1,51 million hectares this season.
ZAMBIA’S 2022/23 maize harvest is expected to be 25,2% lower than last year’s. The crop has been forecast at 2,7 million tonnes, compared with 3,62 million tonnes recorded in 2021/22.
The country’s minister of agriculture, Reuben Phiri, ascribed the drop to a decline in the area planted from 1,69 million hectares last season to 1,51 million hectares this season.
“This is coupled with a reduction in yield from 2,14t/ha last season to 1,8t/ha during the period under review,” he told Food Business Africa.
Phiri said the country’s small- and medium-scale farming households were expected to contribute 96% of this year’s harvest, with large-scale farmers making up the rest.
