The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform (MAFWLR) is intensifying emergency assistance to farmers in the Zambezi Region, where floods have severely affected crop production.

An estimated 712 farmers have been impacted, with approximately 1,319 hectares of crop fields submerged. The ministry has deployed tractors and trailers to transport crops to safer locations.

While farmers have welcomed the support, some express concerns over the quality of their maize.

Farmer Kevin Libonelo lamented: “The produce is going to waste. We doubt our buyers will purchase it because it appears that it will not dry properly since it gets soaked while in the field and also gets soaked by rain at the village.”

Similarly, Allen Makumbi noted: “This type of maize can't be sold; we're just feeding it to the chickens. Most of the fields have this type of produce that was harvested.”

The intervention aims to salvage as much produce as possible before floodwaters worsen. So far, around 473 metric tonnes of produce have been transported, benefiting at least 130 farmers.

Farmers are calling on the ministry to extend support to more affected communities and provide seeds for the upcoming planting season.

The ministry said that the transportation phase, initially scheduled to end on 17 April, is under review for possible extension based on reports from the first phase of the operation.