DOREEN NAWA
Lusaka
ZAMBIA’S small-scale farmers have staged a remarkable recovery from the devastating 2023/2024 drought, with improved rainfall and better access to inputs driving a record maize harvest in the 2024/2025 farming season, the National Union for Small-scale Farmers of Zambia (NUSFAZ) has said.
In an interview, NUSFAZ executive director Ebony Lolozhi said the sharp turnaround underscores both the resilience of smallholder farmers and the decisive role of favourable climate conditions in restoring agricultural productivity.
“The 2023/2024 season was extremely difficult. We experienced a drought that reduced soya bean production by about 70 percent and maize by nearly 50 percent,” Mr Lolozhi said.
He said the following season delivered a strong rebound, with maize production rising to about 3.6 million tonnes, compared to roughly 1.5 million tonnes in the drought-affected season.
“This is an improvement of more than 100 percent. It clearly shows how quickly the sector can recover when weather conditions improve and farmers have access to basic inputs,” he said…https://enews.daily-mail.co.zm/welcome/home
