Farmers News - Zambia Expected To Grow More Cereal

ZAMBIA is among seven African countries expected to grow more cereal with over 20 percent production by the end of this year, the Food and Agriculture Organisation says.

The FAO has attributed the increase in cereal production to a number of good regional policies implemented by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).

According to FAO statistics, Zimbabwe will record the highest cereal yield at 77 percent, Sudan at 74.2 percent, Zambia at 24.5 percent, Kenya will register 8.1 percent, Malawi will have 5.4 percent, Uganda’s forecast is pegged at 4.5 percent while Madagascar is expected to harvest 1.6 percent.

The report was presented during the 6th joint COMESA technical committee on agriculture, environment and natural resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo last week.

The meeting addressed, among other issues, the food security situation in the COMESA region including the regional food balance sheet.
The report estimated that agriculture contributes more than 32 percent of the COMESA region’s gross domestic product and employs about 80 percent of its labour force.

“The agriculture sector is also important for its contribution to food security, contributes more than 50 percent of raw material to industrial sector and generation of about 65 percent foreign exchange for a greater part of the region,” the report says.

It says COMESA has developed a number of regional policy harmonisation programmes and initiatives especially towards national policy frameworks to sustain growth in production.

“The programmes are aimed at addressing the regional challenges facing the COMESA region in ensuring food security and how to stimulate strong and dynamic agriculture-industry link through sustainable increases in overall agricultural production,” it says.

The report says COMESA, working through its specialised agencies, the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa Region and the African Fertiliser and Agribusiness Partnership, has formulated a programme on the harmonisation of fertiliser policies and regulations in the eastern and southern African regions.

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