ZAMBIA IS SELF-SUFFICIENT ON WHEAT- ZNFU

By Jessica Mwansa

ZAMBIA is self-sufficient in wheat production and there is no deficit to warrant any imports, Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) head economist Harad Lungu has said.  

In an interview with The Scoop, Mr. Lungu said suggestions that the country had a net production deficit of about 110, 000 tonnes for the 2022/2023 agro season were false.

He said in the previous year, wheat farmers who were members of ZNFU produced about 370, 000 tonnes while another 50, 000 tonnes came from small-scale wheat farmers who were not members of ZNFU bringing the total production for the commodity to 420,000 tonnes.

 “Zambia is not experiencing any wheat deficit as the country is self-sufficient so, treat that information as false. The country has more water and improved electricity supply and this led to increased hectares of land under cultivation for wheat production for last year.

“The millers give us their demand as well as for export, but in the previous year, they have imported less and production has been increasing. So, the deficit that needs to be covered by imports is definitely less and should not be anywhere above 100,000 tonnes,” Mr. Lungu said.

He added that if export volumes for flour were to be accurately measured, the country would be able to have more accurate figures on local wheat consumption.

“However, it is difficult to state the estimated consumption for domestic and industrial use in Zambia but the union estimates consumption at about 300 tonnes,” he said.

He has since urged the farmers not to relax but aim for high yields in the next season as it would also advantage the export market and increase national food security.