Zambia has its largest maize harvest on record
Zambia has had an exceptional maize production season. The country is expecting its largest maize crop on record, which will provide an essential cushion ahead of the challenging production season in the upcoming 2026-27 summer.
Zambia has had an exceptional maize production season. The country is expecting its largest maize crop on record, which will provide an essential cushion ahead of the challenging production season in the upcoming 2026-27 summer.
Over the past few months, I have seen various optimistic statements from the country’s ministry of agriculture. But the picture became clearer when the US Department of Agriculture released its World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report, prominently featuring Zambia, with 2025-26 maize production estimated at 4.9 million tonnes.
This expected ample maize harvest is up 28% from the previous season and is the largest maize harvest on record.
The ample harvest is due to an expansion in the area planted to 2 million hectares, up 17% from the 2024-25 season, and higher yields, driven by favourable La Niña rains.
This large maize harvest far exceeds Zambia’s annual maize needs of 2,8 million tonnes. The country will have around 2.0 million tonnes of maize surplus for export or to boost carryover stocks into next year.
Zambia will be a key supplier of maize to Zimbabwe and other Southern African countries in need. This will build on the supplies that we already see from South Africa to the Southern African region.
Importantly, Zambia’s record maize harvest will help ensure that the country has a better start to the likely drier season in 2026-27, without already facing a maize supply deficit.
From a regional perspective, Zambia and South Africa will likely be the key countries to support those with large deficits.
South Africa also had a record maize harvest in the 2025-26 season, estimated at 17.4 million tonnes, against the annual needs of 12 million tonnes. The excellent rains and decent plantings were also the key catalyst behind South Africa’s large maize harvest.
*Wandile Sihlobo is chief economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz) and a member of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Economic Advisory Council as well as the Advisory Panel on Land Reform and Agriculture.
