Cereal production in the country fell significantly in 2023, with rice down 34 per cent and maize down 11 per cent, according to data from Mozambique’s National Statistics Institute (INE), according to Lusa.
The INE report reveals that in 2023 Mozambique produced 2,124,749 tonnes of maize, down from the 2,382,511 tonnes recorded in 2022. Despite this drop, maize production in 2023 was higher than in previous years, with the exception of 2022. In 2021, production was 1 836 925 tonnes, while in 2020 and 2019 1 632 321 and 1 451 686 tonnes were produced, respectively.
Tete led maize production in 2023, with 501 080 tonnes, followed by Manica, which produced 398 619 tonnes.
Rice production, meanwhile, reached 161,829 tonnes in 2023, a drop from the 245,792 tonnes recorded the previous year, marking the lowest level in the last five years, according to historical data made available by INE. Zambézia province, in the centre of the country, was the biggest rice producer, with 48,537 tonnes, followed by Gaza province, in the south, with 40,946 tonnes.
In addition to these falls, INE also pointed to a decrease in the production of other cereals, such as mapira, which fell 15% to 139,553 tonnes, and millet, which fell 32% to 17,098 tonnes in 2023.
The reduction in agricultural production, especially in cereals, was attributed in part to the impacts of the El Niño phenomenon, which severely affected several regions of Mozambique. In particular, more than 100,000 people in Manica province face the risk of food insecurity, as the local authorities warned in August. Some 49,000 people are already in need of immediate food assistance.
According to Dionísio Rapeque, head of the food security and nutrition department of the Manica Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Fisheries, the low agricultural production of 2023-24 could jeopardise the next campaign, as many families are without seed stocks. The authorities plan to distribute seeds to affected families to mitigate the impact of the poor harvest.
Mozambique is often affected by extreme weather phenomena, including floods and cyclones, exacerbated by climate change, which aggravate the situation of national agriculture.
