Zambia plans to import maize from South America as drought is expected to cut the 2015/2016 maize crop by a third, local media reported on Wednesday.
Zambia planning to import maize from South America: media
The southern African nation harvested 2.6 million tonnes of the staple in the 2014/2015 season and drought could slash this year's output by 30 percent.
A member of a Venezuelan state-backed farming cooperative harvests corn in a file photo. REUTERS/Howard Yanes
Recommended articles
"The government is looking for possibilities of importing maize from South America as the entire region does not have enough maize stocks," President Edgar Lungu is quoted as saying in the Zambia Daily Mail.
Zambia's maize stocks would only last until June, Lungu told the newspaper. Lungu's spokesman Amos Chanda was not immediately available to comment.
Millions of people in southern Africa face hunger because of a drought that has been exacerbated by an El Nino weather pattern.
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
ADVERTISEMENT
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng
Recommended articles
Let’s drill 200k boreholes across the country — Obi begs wealthy Nigerians
Ondo 2024: Ex-governor's brother emerges gubernatorial candidate
UK varsity rolls out tuition, travel-free scholarship for Nigerian students
President Biden signs law to potentially ban TikTok if not sold
Ex-Governor, Fayose's money laundering trial adjourned as court fails to sit
Travel alert: Panic as fire breaks out at Lagos Airport
NGO allocates $36.5m to Nigeria, 15 other countries to eradicate trachoma
Senator sacrifices chicken to rain god to ask for rainfall — people are mad at him
Telecom calls on FG to tackle pricing issues, balance consumers affordability
ADVERTISEMENT
![Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Joe Biden [BBC]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg'%20width%3D'300'%20height%3D'172'%20data-ring-placeholder%3D'1'%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E "Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Joe Biden [BBC]")