Zambia to audit maize losses amidst drought

Zambia has banned exports of all-maize related products until it audits the perceived losses after a severe drought swept through the country, leaving over six million people without the staple food.

President Hakainde Hichilema has declared the drought, spurred by El Niño weather conditions, a disaster and emergency after 1,1 million of the 2,2 million hectares of land planted to maize withered in 84 of the country’s 116 districts.

Hichilema called for a review of the 2024 budget to provide supplementary funding to meet farmers’ needs, and extended various waivers on duty and tax paid on imports of irrigation equipment. The government, he assured, would provide crop insurance in future against such disasters and would be a guarantor for farmers having loans secured from lending institutions for maize production during the “withered 2023/24 season”. This would save the more than three million smallholder farmers from losing their equipment or property should lenders seek to recover what was owed. Commercial farmers were encouraged to venture into contract farming to produce winter maize to bolster the country’s food security.

Cornelius Mweetwa, the chief government spokesperson and minister of Information and Media, said the export ban on maize bran and other maize-related feeds imposed on the commodity would help expedite the food audit and assist in determining how much was needed for assistance.

Efforts have been stepped up to grow over 200 000t of winter maize, projected to be harvested by mid-year to replenish the shortfall caused by drought.

The UN, the World Bank, the US and Ireland are among countries and organisations that have offered to work with Zambia to mitigate the drought.

Hichilema pledged to review various under-utilised policies and strategies to ensure sustained food security.

Various cross-cutting measures were announced, including reduced trips for government officials, gathering of maize and other foods across the country for safe storage, mobilising defence and security personnel to venture into farming to meet the shortfall, and digging of dams to provide water.

“We are going to support food security, irrigation and water harvesting in various chiefdoms; let’s utilise rivers,” said Hichilema.

Vice-president Mutale Nalumango said the drought was a setback for the country’s aim to raise the country’s annual maize output from about three million tons on average to 10 million tons, using smart agricultural practices. –

THIS WOULD SAVE THREE MILLION SMALLHOLDER FARMERS