The Small Scale Farmers Development Agency-SAFADA has disclosed that the country’s maize yield for the 2021/2022 farming season is likely to reduce by 30% compared to last year’s harvest.
SAFADA Executive Director Boyd Moobwe said he anticipates that the country will have a low yield this year due to factors such as farmers not getting inputs on time, droughts and the outbreak of fall armyworms, which affected all the ten provinces of the country.
Speaking in an interview with the Zambian Business Times-ZBT, Moobwe said he is of the view that government is aware of the expected harvest hence the advice that people should not worry as the current maize stock could last until 2023 March.
Moobwe however said that there is no guarantee that the current stock will go up to next year because traders are buying the maize, millers are grinding and exporting which will affect the reserves therefore the need to regulate the imports and not just focus on getting forex.
He added that what is important is national and household food security hence the need for government to ensure it puts up necessary measures so that the country does not run out of stock in the next one year.
“This year they are saying we don’t have enough, the private sector has said we won’t have enough stock this year, we will have less by 30% from the previous yield last year. It is difficult to keep something when you want money. Already I am hearing that FRA is exporting to Congo, ask me in December you will hear that we don’t have enough”, he said.
Moobwe mentioned that because of the expected poor yield this year, mealie meal prices might increase from the current K150-K160 by October this year.
