'ZAMBIA FOOD SECURE UNTIL NEXT FARMING SEASON,' AGRICULTURE MINISTER SAYS

Minister of Agriculture-Michael Katmabo (3rd from the left) presenting the 2019 crop forecast survey report

Despite the poor rainfall experienced in the Southern, Western and part of Lusaka provinces, Agriculture Minister, Michael Katambo, has assured Zambians that the country is food secure until the next farming harvest in 2020.

During his announcement of the country’s crop forecast survey for the 2018/2019 farming season, Mr. Katambo acknowledged the impact of the long dry spell that occurred between January and March 2019; and he added that the greatest threat to food security was the illegal export of mealie meal especially on the Copperbelt province.

"Despite the prolonged dry spells experienced in this agricultural season and the negative impact of dry spells on crop production, I am delighted to inform the nation that we are food secure until the next harvest in 2020,” Mr. Katambo said.

While the crop forecast survey predicted a 16% decrease in production of maize – a leading cash crop and staple food for most Zambians – the Minister disclosed that maize stocks carried over from the previous season was sufficient to meet the country’s human and industrial need for maize. At the same time, all exports on maize meal and maize grain remained suspended while the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) would be on standby to enter the market to ensure that the national strategic food reserve requirements were met.

“I   would therefore like to urge the millers to ensure that they procure enough stocks for their operations and not to rely on the Food Reserve Agency for their operational stocks,” Mr. Katambo added.

With regard to other crops, the crop survey predicts decreased production in soya beans, sorghum, millet, rice, groundnuts and seed cotton. On a positive note, it estimated an increase in the production in Irish potatoes ( +106%) and mixed beans (+12%) -  an indication that crop diversification is the most effective way to adapt to climate change and also that a guaranteed market exists.

The Agriculture Minister also disclosed that the Ministry would convene an industry stakeholders meeting in the coming weeks, aimed at developing action plans for the growth and diversification of each agricultural sub-sector.

It was also observed from the survey that most of the country’s food production was in the northern regions and in response to this, Executive Director for the INDABA for Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI), Chance Kabaghe, advised that there was a need for the government to formulate deliberate policies that would increase the production potential of the areas that had favorable rainfall while scaling up the adoption of climate smart agricultural practices in the drier regions.

“The issue of climate change is with us and it may become more serious in the coming years. So it is important as government to invest in extension services so that they are mobile and can teach our small-scale farmers how to grow crops [amidst] serious weather impacts,” Mr. Kabaghe said.

The reduction in crop production is an indication that there is an urgent need to implement adaption and mitigation measures in order to confront the realities of climate change.