ZAMBIA has produced 1,511,143 metric tonnes of maize during the 2023/24 farming season, less than the 3,261,686 metric tonnes produced in the previous season, the crop forecasting survey results have revealed. Minister of Agriculture Mtolo Phiri says the country has recorded a net deficit of 1,323,288 metric tonnes for maize, 55,138 metric tonnes for paddy rice, 225,296 metric tonnes for wheat, and 548,644 metric tonnes for cassava flour. Meanwhile, the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has announced that it has started buying maize from satellite depots at K330 per 50kg bag or K6,600 per metric tonne. Phiri disclosed, during the announcement of the crop forecasting survey results that overall, the country had a total net deficit of 2,107,745 metric tonnes of...