ZAMBIA (13 February)
Favourable rainfall over the northern half of the country has been conducive for the main-season crops planted in recent months. Rainfall has been below normal for areas in the south and in the northeast. The Government has encouraged increased plantings and fertilizer use through its extended input subsidy programme to help boost food production. At this early stage, the overall prospect for the season is considered good. The 2003 cereal production was estimated at 1.36 million tonnes, some 83 percent higher than the reduced harvest of the year before and 35 percent above the average of the past five years. Cereal import requirements are limited to reduced quantities of wheat and rice in which the country has a structural deficit but are met through commercial imports.
In order to stabilize maize prices in the country, the Government has lifted the ban on maize exports and plans to replenish the country’s strategic reserves by procuring 206 000 tonnes of maize domestically. However, specific areas in the south and west of the country, where the harvest was poor, require targeted food assistance in 2003/04. This can be acquired primarily through local purchases.