Zimbabwe corn output projected to double
Zimbabwe’s corn production is projected to more than double to 1.3 million tonnes in 2025-26 due to improved weather and a stronger La Niña. Imports are expected to fall to 1 million tonnes, mostly from South Africa. Despite gains, output remains challenged by low yields, reliance on rainfall, and high input costs, especially among communal farmers.
Zimbabwe’s corn production in marketing year 2025-26 is projected to more than double due to improved weather conditions, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture.
The agency forecast production to reach 1.3 million tonnes, up from last year’s drought-plagued crop of 635,000 tonnes. It said this year’s crop development has benefited from a “stronger La Niña weather pattern in the second half of the production season.”
As a result of the increased production, corn imports are forecast to decline 300,000 tonnes year on year to 1 million in 2025-26, the FAS said. But the number remains historically high as total domestic demand for corn is estimated at 2.2 million tonnes, representing an 8% increase compared to 2024-25, the report said.
The FAS said most of Zimbabwe’s corn imports will come from South Africa, which has approximately 1.5 million tonnes available for export in 2025-26.
While corn is the country’s primary grain crop, growers face numerous challenges, the FAS noted. Corn production primarily is conducted by communal farmers, who account for 60% of the corn cultivation area but produce less than 40% of the total output due to low yields.
“Farmers have limited access to irrigation technologies, subsequently more than 90% of corn production is reliant on rainfall,” the FAS said. “The ability of farmers to optimize production is further hindered by macro-economic challenges and relatively high input costs, particularly for fuel and fertilizer.”
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Source : Ukr Agro Consult
