Lusaka, Zambia – Zambia faces a critical food shortage after the worst drought in its history ravaged crops, forcing the nation to seek maize imports from neighboring Tanzania.
Information Minister Cornelius Mweetwa announced on Wednesday that the government had reached an initial agreement to import 650,000 metric tons of white maize from Tanzania. This drastic measure comes after a crop forecasting survey revealed a devastating decline in maize production, plummeting from 3.2 million tons in the previous season to a mere 1.5 million tons.
The drought, attributed to the El Nino weather phenomenon, has had a crippling impact on the nation. President Hakainde Hichilema warned in April that nearly $1 billion was needed to address the crisis, which has adversely affected roughly half of Zambia’s 20 million citizens.
The situation escalated further when Agriculture Minister Mtolo Phiri declared a national disaster in February due to the drought. With over 6 million people requiring urgent humanitarian assistance, Zambia was forced to acknowledge a national maize deficit of 2.1 million tons, prompting the suspension of maize exports and a shift towards imports.
This reliance on Tanzania highlights the severity of the drought’s impact on Zambia’s food security. The imported maize is expected to provide much-needed relief for the nation as it grapples with the aftermath of this historic weather event.
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