Rainfall Boosts Zimbabwean Maize, Sugarcane
5 April 2006 Production of both maize and sugarcane is forecast to be increasing thanks to favorable conditions in Zimbabwe this season. Most parts of the country have received normal to above normal rainfall, reports the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service (USDA-FAS). The southeastern part of the country (Manicaland, Masvingo and Matebeleland South provinces) has suffered a mid-season drought that has severely reduced yield potential in the affected areas. With maize production estimated at between 800,000 and 900,000 metric tons (MT) the country faces another food deficit after the harvest in May 2006, even though the 900,000 MT target is substantially better than the 550,000 MT harvested in 2004.
Shortage of inputs (including seed, fertilizer, and agrochemicals), shortage of labor for weeding (particularly on the smaller commercial farms), leaching of nutrients, and a controlled price and market for the commodity,all conspired to lower production this season below the theoretical national requirement of about 1.8 million MT.
Zimbabwe is expected to produce 3.5 million MT of sugarcane in 2006/07 compared to the 3.3 million MT produced in 2005/06, again due largely to favorable growing conditions in major growing areas. The area under sugarcane increased marginally by 5% to 44,794 hectares for the 2006/07 milling season compared to 42,589 hectares for 2005/06.This should produce 491,000 tons of sugar, compared to the 475,000 tons produced last season.
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