It’s a Bumper Harvest!
LUSAKA –Zambia is set to record one of its most impressive agricultural seasons in recent years, with a projected bumper harvest of 3.7 million tonnes of maize. This forecast includes a surplus of over 501,000 tonnes, far exceeding the nation’s food security threshold and paving the way for potential exports.
Minister Sylvia Masebo said the bumper harvest reflects the success of well-coordinated input distribution and improved climate conditions. She credited government-led interventions, including the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP), for enabling smallholder farmers to plant early and efficiently.
“This yield is not just a product of rainfall; it’s a result of policy alignment and farmer commitment,” she said. The expected surplus may lead to a further reduction in mealie meal prices, a key staple for millions of Zambians.
The Ministry has already initiated assessments on which regions will contribute most to the export window. “We’re looking at opportunities across COMESA and SADC to distribute our excess maize without compromising national reserves,” Masebo added.
Stakeholders in the food industry have welcomed the development, calling it a timely buffer against global food supply shocks. The Zambia National Farmers’ Union (ZNFU) urged government to secure storage and market linkages for the projected output to avoid post-harvest losses.
This comes at a critical time when inflationary pressure on food has eased slightly due to declining commodity prices. Analysts predict this harvest could also stabilize the kwacha due to a reduced import bill for food and increased foreign exchange from exports.
This is wonderful news.
You could be celebrating too early. The potential to produce more than what is called a bumper harvest is there. This so called bumper harvest could be an under performance if you look at the hectarage planted. Just like rejoicing employment of Fifty thousand civil servants when you have millions of people without jobs with a feeble explanation that we are the first ones to employ this much ,meaning UPND does not understand the magnitude of the unemployment issue. Anyway that is what happens in a country when you set your standards too low.
I agree with you common man, the reason why Burkina Fasso has gone massively introducing mechanised farming where peasant farmers are producing 10 times more. Here we are still with tuma FISP
…but let’s also see other metrics (such as amalaiti, infrastructure, water reticulation and sanitation, etc) trending north. We need to see improved management in all spheres of human endeavor.
We will not be getting bumper harvest every year.so let’s forget about export for now. Let’s
Find ways of storage.lets now focus on load
Shedding.
Whilst it is certainly good news !!!! my question is can it be believed ?? we have been told so many half truths in the past by all, we at a stage where we dont really know fact from friction , with the Elections coming up these statements will be daily occurrences ??
You’re free to believe in whatever you want to believe.
Great!Now,let’s hear from the bunkums who were crying blood that UPND had sold maize reserves.You will now see them running to loadshedding.They will still find you there and then,where afterwards?
Just defect and join the winning team chabe
TOO TRUE !! No one can be blamed for being skeptical look at our past track record
Why is the minister of lands telling us about this? But also, let’s put the brakes on exports please. Don’t we learn?
60 yrs is too short a time for us to learn ?? Look at loadshedding it is worse than ever now
HH said 7 hrs we at 14hrs Does anyone really know whats going on ???
Bumper harvest has never ever brought down the prices of food in this country. Check the records. But 2025 and 2026 being mingalato years, I think food prices may come down. Wait and see situation
@ Mariamungu
Just accept that these guys have scored a goal even if you do not like them full stop. That is the problem with opposition carders who were banking on hunger we had , they wanted to continue using the same strategy now and in 2026. Now this is gone who knows next load shedding will also go , then what are going to tell us in order to vote for you?