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Zambia: Maize Farmers Record Another Surplus
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The Times of Zambia (Ndola)
8 May 2008
Posted to the web 8 May 2008
Ndola
ZAMBIA has this year recorded a maize surplus of 143,000 tonnes, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister, Sara Sayifwanda has announced.
Last year, the maize surplus stood at 250,000 tonnes.
Ms Sayifwanda said at a Press briefing that the reduction in the maize surplus was 107,000 tonnes, translating to 42.80 per cent although the country was still food-secure.
The minister said the national food balance sheet showed that the country produced a modest staple food surplus of maize, cassava, rice, wheat, sorghum, sweet potatoes and millet amounting to 564,547 tonnes, representing a reduction of 63,849 tonnes from that of last year.
She said that the total maize production in the 2007/2008 season was 1,211,566 compared to the current 1,366,158 tonnes.
"However, the area planted increased by 55,412 hectares while the harvested area reduced by 35,144 hectares compared to last year," she said.
Ms Sayifwanda said the reduction in maize production was attributed to 40.65 per cent of the planted area that could not be harvested compared to the 32.8 per cent of the planted area in the last season.
She said farmers cited logging and flooding as well as inadequate access to agricultural inputs and extension services for the reduction in maize production.
There were inadequate extension services to help improve farm management.
She said the contribution to national maize production by commercial farmers accounted for 18 per cent while small and medium-scale farmers was 82 per cent.
Commercial farmers would contribute 33 per cent of total maize sales in the 2008-2009 marketing season and small-scale farmers would contribute 67 per cent of total maize sales.
For an estimated population of 12.38 million, the maize requirement was 1,458,916 tonnes and when the national requirement, including reserve stocks, was netted, the surplus would be 143,000 tonnes.
She said despite excessive rain and floods, farmers increased the cultivated area thereby increasing both food and cash crops.
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Ms Sayifwanda said overall, the country was food-secure although food insecurity would be experienced within communities that experienced unfavourable weather conditions.
And Agriculture Deputy Minister, Albert Mulonga handed over five buses to five agricultural colleges in an effort to ease transport problems.
The colleges that received the buses were Popota Tobacco Training College, Zambia Institute of Animal Health (ZIAH), Katete College of Agricultural Marketing, Chapula Horticultural Training Institute and Kasaka Fisheries Training Institute.
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