27/05/2026
ZAMBIA EXPECTED TO PRODUCE A BUMPER HARVEST
The Zambia Statistics Agency (Zamstats) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture has disseminated the 2025/2026 Crop Forecasting Survey Results. The results show that Zambia is expected to record a bumper harvest. Data shows that the estimated maize production for the 2025/2026 agricultural season is projected at over 4.9 million metric tonnes, making it the highest ever recorded production. Additional, the 2025/2026 expected maize production has increased to 4,937,605 metric tonnes from 3 ,655,646 metric tonnes recording a 26.0 percentage change increase.
Of the top ten crops by planted area (Ha), Maize had the largest area planted with 2,361 million hectares. Area planted under Maize by province shows that Southern was leading (495,318 Ha), followed by Central (446,615Ha) while Lusaka recorded the lowest area planted under maize (69,792 Ha).
Present at this dissemination was the Secretary to the Cabinet Mr. Patrick K. Kangwa, Ministry of Agriculture, Permanent Secretary for Technical Services,Mr. John Mulongoti, ZamStats Board Chairperson Mr. Oliver J. Chinganya , the Statistician General Mrs. Sheila S. Mudenda, and Indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI).
Delivering the Keynote speech, the Secretary to the Cabinet said that the CFS results indicate a positive trajectory, signaling another good season following the positive performance recorded during the 2024/2025 agricultural season. He noted with gratitude that the country has successfully secured two consecutive seasons of recovery and growth following the devastating climate-induced drought experienced during the 2023/2024 agricultural season.
“As indicated in the released statistics, the country is projected to increase crop production volumes of critical commodities, including maize, rice, beans, and wheat, compared to the 2024/2025 agricultural season,” Mr. Kangwa said.
The Statistician General also revealed that the expected Sorghum production is about 14,000 metric tonnes, with expected sales of about 5,000 metric tonnes, while rice recorded production of about 100,000 metric tonnes, with expected sales of about 49,000 metric tonnes.
Mrs. Mudenda also noted that in terms of production distribution by farmer category, about 94 percent of the maize produced in Zambia comes from small- and medium-scale farmers, while only 6 percent comes from large-scale farmers.
“Most crops were expected to achieve close to 100 percent harvest rates, with maize recording 100 percent harvest and Irish potatoes recording 99.1 percent. The least expected harvest rate was recorded for sorghum at 61.1 percent,” the Statistician General noted.
The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. John Mulongoti stated that the results presented would help Government measure progress, identify existing gaps, and inform the necessary interventions required to improve productivity.
He expressed Government’s sincere gratitude to all the technical teams that made the important national exercise possible, noting that the successful implementation of the survey required dedication, professionalism, and coordination across multiple institutions and levels of Government.
He concluded by commending the Statistician General, Management at the Zambia Statistics Agency, as well as the technical teams from the Ministry of Agriculture for their hard work, accuracy, and integrity throughout the exercise.
For a more detailed presentation, kindly visit our website at www.zamstats.gov.zm
