More eye Zambian maize

Speaking on the maize stocks available in the country, Mr Chuunka said Zambia currently had about seven million metric tonnes of maize, comprising between 5.1 million tonnes and 5.2 million metric tonnes produced during the 2026 farming season and approximately 1.6 million metric tonnes of carryover stocks.

He said the availability of the maize stocks had placed Zambia in a position to explore both regional and international markets.

Mr Chuunka said the FRA was keen to utilise the available stocks to support farmers by creating reliable markets for their produce.

“The availability of the stocks puts us in a position to explore both regional and international markets while creating a market for our farmers,” he said.

He said, apart from countries in the region, buyers from the Middle East had also expressed interest in accessing Zambian grain.

Mr Chuunka said the FRA was, however, yet to establish the exact quantity of maize that would eventually be exported to the different countries that had expressed interest.

He explained that each request would have to be assessed against the maize stocks available before the agency could determine the quantities to be supplied.

“We cannot yet determine the total quantity that will be sold to the different countries because each request will have to be assessed against the available stocks,” Mr Chuunka said.

He said the FRA would continue engaging potential buyers as Zambia sought to strengthen its position in the regional and international maize market.

The development comes as Zambia seeks to leverage its substantial maize stocks by opening up additional markets beyond the traditional regional destinations.