ZAMBIA (13 October)
The revised estimate of the 2004 harvest puts the main season maize production in Zambia at 1.21 million tonnes, 4.8 percent higher than last year’s above average 1.16 million tonnes output. Favourable rainfall over much of the country and the Government’s fertilizer distribution through its extended input subsidy programme helped boost food maize yields. Considering the country’s total utilization, and substantial carry over stocks, an export capacity of about 185 000 tonnes is expected during the 2004/05 marketing year. As a result of two consecutive good harvests maize prices are observed below 10-year average (FEWSNET). According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the area under mature cassava increased by 47 percent from 140 251 hectares in 2002/03 to 206 051 hectares in 2003/04 resulting in a production increase of 46 percent to about 1.4 million tonnes.
An outbreak of foot and mouth disease has spread from the traditional Kazungula District (Southern Province) and Nakonde and Mbala districts (Northern Province) to new areas of Southern and Central Provinces putting over 200 000 cattle are at risk.