Zambian farmers are busy harvesting white maize but poor marketing arrangements may hamper plans to raise output to 2.4 million tonnes next year, a farmers' group said on Monday.
Zambia's white maize production for the 2005/06 season has risen to 1,424,439 tonnes from 866,187 in 2004/05, and the government says next year's production could reach 2.4 million.
But farmers are concerned that the state Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has not yet started buying the crop to enable them to start preparations for the 2006/07 season. There was no comment from the FRA on the delays.
"The crop is looking very good and some farmers are still busy harvesting the maize. But the FRA has not started buying the crop yet and this might affect (future) production," said Guy Robinson, president of the 800,000-member Zambia National Farmers Union.
"Farmers might not have enough money for buying inputs to grow more maize and increased production will therefore depend on availability of finances and also the weather," he added. Agriculture minister Mundia Sikatana said Zambia planned to raise output to 2.4 million in the coming season. The government released money to the FRA in May to purchase maize to keep in strategic reserves.
A manager at the small-holding Cherish Farms said a small amount of maize had been destroyed by pests but the bulk of the crop had been harvested and stored.
Chitambira Mudemba told Reuters that most small-scale farmers had harvested their maize with minimum losses.
"The maize harvest has been very good," Chitambira said, pointing to stocks of white maize in barns ready for shelling at Cherish Farms - in Moomba, 25 km north of the capital Lusaka.
"We have had a bit of the crop destroyed by termites and cut worms but it is really insignificant," Chitambira added. Agriculture minister Mundia Sikatana told Reuters that plans to raise maize output had been implemented with some new farm blocs expected to be ready this year.
Sikatana said state utility Zesco had installed power for a farm bloc in western Zambia, where farmers would be given land to grow maize and other crops.
"We have power at Kalumwange farm bloc in Kaoma (in western Zambia) and land will soon be distributed at Nasanga farm bloc (in central Zambia)," Sikatana said.
Zambia has created farm blocs ranging from 100,000 to 150,000 hectares where it intends to settle commercial and small-scale farmers. Finance minister Ng'andu Magande said last week that Zambia would spend $100 million on agricultural projects.