Zambia: Zambia Corn Availability Appears Sufficient Despite Lower Production

Despite lower production in marketing year (MY) 2022/23, Zambia’s production of its staple crop, corn, will be sufficient to meet domestic demand. Zambia’s corn crop is forecast to decline by 25 percent to 2.7 million metric tons (MMT) in MY 2022/23, after producing a record crop 3.6 MMT in MY 2021/22. Over the past 20 years, Zambia more than doubled corn production through a combination of increased area and productivity, turning the country into a net exporter of corn. Despite the decline in production, Post estimates that Zambia could export about 700,000 MT of corn in MY 2022/23 on record carry-over stocks from the previous marketing year. The Zambian government assured traders that the country will comply with regional and international trade protocols and avoid export restrictions in MY 2022/23.