ESWATINI FACES MAIZE SHORTAGE, SPIKE IN FOOD PRICES

MBABANE – Seemingly, Eswatini is far from attaining its desired food security status, as it has recorded an acute decline in its maize yield for 2024.   

According to the final post-harvest assessment report issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, the country recorded 75 000 metric tonnes this year, which is a far cry from the 140 000 metric tonnes annual target. The ministry said the maize yield was lower than that of last year, when the country recorded 85 000 metric tonnes.VThis means that Eswatini is expected to import 65 000 metric tonnes, almost half of the maize needed by the country.

Decline

Following such a decline, consumers must brace themselves for a sharp increase in food prices in the upcoming months. Meanwhile, Nelson Mavuso, the Director of Agriculture, said this was an unfortunate situation for the country as the National Maize Corporation (NMC) would have to look for alternative markets outside the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to buy maize, because all the major producing countries are faced with the same predicament. Mavuso said countries like Zambia, Malawi and South Africa indicated that they would not be selling their maize this year to countries like Eswatini, since they also had insufficient produce.

Import

As a result, Mavuso indicated that the country would be forced to import maize from as far as Brazil and Argentina, and that would increase the transportation costs. “The situation is really bad. We received a yield lower than what we anticipated. There are many reasons attributed to such a decline,” he said. The director further said the size of land planted this year was less than the previous year, resulting in a decline in maize production in the country. He further highlighted the heatwave as another reason leading to the maize shortage.  Mavuso said inadequate rains in some of the country’s key producing areas – Mahlangatsha, Sitsatsaweni, Sigombeni, Ntfonjeni, Dlangeni and Sigangeni resulted in a decline in the harvest, affecting the food security position of Eswatini.

“The drought from the El Nino weather pattern has withered leaves, wilted cobs and raised the spectre of hunger for thousands of farmers and emaSwati, especially the vulnerable groups, the elderly and those with disabilities,” Mavuso said.  In Mavuso’s observation, the low yields in 2023 were primarily caused by an erratic temporary distribution of rainfall, despite cumulative seasonal rainfall amounts being close to normal levels. On another note, Mavuso said it was expensive to import maize from other countries.The director emphasised that Zambia had indicated that the maize they received in this year’s harvesting period, was not sufficient, so it would not be enough to satisfy their entire population. He further said Malawi, Zimbabwe and South Africa followed in Zambia’s footsteps of stopping the selling of maize to other countries.

Mavuso said the decision taken by the said countries would force the country to go as far as overseas to import maize. “No matter how cheap the maize might be in the overseas countries, the handling costs and transportation are very expensive, let alone the costs of going there for negotiation purposes, which are also high. As a country, we want to start producing our maize that would accommodate the entire population,” he said. Mavuso pointed out that from the previous years, the country had been producing average maize, ranging from 86 000 and 89 000 metric tonnes. He said the country was at a disastrous stage, following a decline in maize production recorded this year even below average.

Solution

As a solution to the current problem, Mavuso said farmers needed to put more effort into ensuring that enough maize was produced in the next coming ploughing season, to cover those that had not produced anything. He said by so doing, the country would have food security. On the other hand, the director said growing a variety of crops that withstand harsh conditions would be the solution to food insecurity. He said: “Heatwave has its severity on crops. If we plant the right variety, we will get more produce. However, if the heatwave strikes at the time when the maize had developed tassels, farmers must brace themselves for loss,” he explained.

Windstorms

He said it was important for farmers to be cognisant of the fact that climate change was accompanied by extreme temperatures and windstorms. According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, about 238 500 people are faced with acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) and above) between June and September 2023.  The number of food insecure people is said to have increased to nearly 283 000 between October 2023 and March 2024, moderately higher than projections in the corresponding period of 2022/23.

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