Zambia has secured more than 1 million metric tons of maize in addition to other crops which have been stocked in food storage sheds, assuring the country’s food security for the next two years, says agriculture minister Reuben Mtolo.
Minister Mtolo says the unpredictable weather conditions spurred by climate change and other calamities prompted the country to undertake precautions and avert shortchanged policies that could affect the country’s food systems and induce hunger.
“We have secured more than 1 million metric tons of the maize and in addition, we have managed to mobilise other crops for consumption which we are securing in our storage sheds and that is an assurance that we’ll have sufficient stocks of up to 2024,” he said during the 116th farmers congress in Lusaka.
To sustain food predictability in the country, amid climatic change threats, distribution of farming inputs has been stepped up with over 40-45% of seeds and fertilisers distributed to small holder farmers under the Farmers Input Support Programme (FISP) ahead of the planting season due in the next few weeks.
Minister Mtolo is desirous that the distribution of inputs will be accelerated before the onset of the rain season and ensure all deserving smallholder farmers access seeds and fertilizer to ensure the maize output surpasses last season’s yield.
The output, in excess of 2.7 million tons, was 25% short of the output a year earlier spurred by late planting of seeds after input delivery was delayed.
Earlier, the Government had complained at the delayed distribution of the inputs for the 2022/23 season and was concerned that unless it hastened, there could be a repeat of last year where some farmers received input when rains had started, thus the products going to waste.
In a letter to one of the input suppliers, the ministry is worried that the delay if not resolved could be a disaster for the anticipated production of the maize crop, as the 30 November deadline had approached which was set to ensure all inputs reached the beneficiaries.
To compensate for the production losses in the previous harvesting season, Zambia has increased the number of input beneficiaries to 1 million and ensured high food production.
The legumes include groundnuts, soya beans, peas, among other legumes after the crops were added to the agriculture pack under the Food input Support Programme.
