LUSAKA, June 6 (Xinhua) — Zambia produced 1.5 million tonnes of maize during the 2023/2024 farming season, a senior government official said Thursday.
This was a reduction from the 3.3 million tonnes of maize produced during the 2022/2023 season.
In remarks delivered during the release of the crop forecast survey results, Minister of Agriculture Mtolo Phiri attributed the reduction to the drought which affected crop production in 84 of the country’s 116 districts.
“Despite the efforts of the farmers to produce more, the drought affected production for most crops, including maize, and this has resulted in our national food balance reflecting a deficit,” he said.
