HAMUSIMBI: Bumper Harvest Opens Door to Exports

An agricultural specialist says Zambia's expected maize crop of close to five million metric tonnes presents a significant opening to bolster food security and broaden export programmes.

Coillard Hamusimbi, Chief Agricultural Advisor for the Jobs Accelerator Project, says the strong yield came as no shock. He puts it down to government reforms, better incentives for farmers and the effective adoption of the Electronic Voucher System under the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP). Despite the harsh drought of 2024, he notes, the country has continued to lift its maize output.

Appearing on the ZNBC Sunday Interview Programme, Mr Hamusimbi said that once national consumption, industrial needs and strategic reserve targets are met, roughly 2.4 million metric tonnes would still be free for export and other commercial purposes. He called on both government and private investors to channel this surplus into livestock, poultry and aquaculture, stressing that maize deserves recognition as an industrial input for stock feed and processed goods, not merely as a staple food.

Although he conceded that storage capacity remains tight, he believes alternative options and closer public-private cooperation could curb post-harvest losses. He welcomed the move to permit exports, suggesting it would unlock fresh markets, relieve storage strain and steady prices.

Mr Hamusimbi reassured the public that exporting would not endanger food security, pointing out that strategic reserves have risen to one million metric tonnes, equivalent to about ten months of supply. He further revealed that more than 200,000 ineligible recipients have been struck off the FISP register, sharpening efficiency and productivity.