Africa should collaborate and share knowledge on agriculture best practices to nurture the aquaculture industry for enhanced and sustainable food security, says Zambia’s fisheries and livestock minister Makozo Chikote.

The 2^nd Annual International Conference and Exposition of the African Chapter of the World Aquaculture Society (AFRAQ), hosted last week in Lusaka, Zambia, noted that the fish and aquaculture sector had the potential to remedy Africa’s food sustainability with the collaboration of various players, amid the diminishing existing water spaces given the rising industrialisation.

The conference took place from 13 to 16 November, which showcased the country’s potential to grow its economy, emphasising the potential in the fisheries and aquaculture sector as opposed to traditional mining.

The intended diversification hinges on a number of aquafarms, as small and medium-to-large-scale operations continue to flourish in the country with the launch of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy 2022-2026.

Zambia is developing the aquaculture sub-sector to further contribute to food and nutrition security, employment creation and foreign earnings through fish exports. Zambia has stepped up efforts to promote an environment for investments by initiating a number of strategic public-service project activities to enhance and strengthen the aquaculture value chains.

Chikote noted that the shrinking existing natural water spaces for fish and aquaculture production needed innovation to sustain the sector and it was time that Zambia, like many other African countries, shared knowledge to close the poverty gaps and maximise on exports.

“Africa should share ideas on how to grow the aquaculture sector; it is high time for researchers, academics, doctors and other relevant experts to come together to share knowledge on the best practices so that we can help Africa become food self-sufficient,” he said.

“We as leaders in Africa have the political will to initiate policies that will grow the sector but we need you technocrats and think tanks to drive the agenda, we need you to actualise our dreams.”

Zambia plans to double its fish output to about 300 000m² a year by 2026 from an average 30 000m².

It envisions to further raise fish per capita from 11kg to 15kg by 2026 and hit 20kg by the close of the decade. However, it needed co-operation among players.

Chikote was mindful of the challenges frustrating the growth of the sector in Zambia, citing the lack of cheap, affordable capital; the fish disease burden; the high cost of fish feed; inadequate high-quality fingerlings, and slow investments in the sector.

He urged various players to look to Zambia for investment in the aquaculture sector with a pledge for enabling incentives and real return on investment.

Zambia remains one of the main exporters of maize in Africa, following sustained output of the country’s staple food in recent years spurred by input subsidies, despite some climate change effects, invasion of pests, erratic rains, post-harvest losses and frustrated production in recent years.

According to the agricultural ministry, in the 2022/23 farming season, Zambia’s maize output was 3,3  million tons, slightly lower than the 3,6  million tons produced in 2021/22.

Zambia has induced a robust food production and doubled its maize production in the past 20 years, said the ministry, aided by increased area and productivity, prompting neighbouring countries and beyond to look to Zambia to plug their deficit of the crop.

This year, Zambia exported 60 000t of maize to various countries with northern neighbour the DRC accessing more than 6 000t and Rwanda about 4 000t, while private buyers across the continent also procured the crop to plug their deficit spurred by climate change effects.

In May this year, the ministry said the total carry-over stocks held by farmers, millers, grain traders and the country’s food agency was 450 891t, with production expected at 3,3 million tons. Carry-over stock available in the recent marketing season was four million tons.

Despite the high productivity rate of maize, the country experienced various climatic change effects, including late rainfall, floods, dry spells and crop diseases, where more than 91 981ha of land were destroyed by heavy rains and flash floods.

A total of 219  610ha under crop production was damaged by the dry spell. A total 319  611ha was damaged by dry spells, flash floods, stalk borers and fall armyworm.

Maize surplus recorded was 470 379t, implying the country would need to import 3,24 million tons to meet consumption for a population of about 20,4 million, including industrial consumption.

The government said that the national food balance sheet showed the country had recorded a net deficit of 46 855t of paddy rice, as well as a net deficit of 108  561t of wheat during the period under review.

The government said that food output has been bolstered by a 2,5  million rise in small- and medium-scale farming households.

To enhance sustained food output, Zambia has adopted the Comprehensive Agriculture Transformation Support Programme, a policy anchored on policy instruments and legislative reform to stimulate production, increase value, and the uptake of climate smart technologies.

The cause of elephant deaths in Zimbabwe and Botswana in 2020 has been revealed by scientists. The detection and presence Bisgaard taxon 45, an unnamed close relative of Pasteurella multocida in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, which covers Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, Zambia and Namibia, was of great concern.

This followed the recently released scientific findings after the death of 350 elephants in Botswana and 35 in Zimbabwe in 2020

The findings were recently published in the peer-reviewed Nature Communications journal.

Bisgaard taxon 45 added to a long list of health challenges that pose a threat to the elephant population in Southern Africa, such as tuberculosis, anthrax, elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus, encephalomyocarditis virus, floppy-trunk syndrome and malicious poisoning.

READ How elephant populations are being controlled using contraceptives

“We found evidence of the mortalities in Zimbabwe as fatal septicaemia associated with Bisgaard taxon 45, an unnamed close relative of Pasteurella multocida. Post-mortem and histological findings suggest a bacterial septicaemia similar to haemorrhagic septicaemia caused by Pasteurella multocida,” the authors of the report explained.

After the deaths of the elephants in Botswana and Zimbabwe, Pasteurella multocida was already suspected to have been the cause.

At the time, poaching and deliberate poisoning were also suspected but were eliminated in the report.

Speculations that the deaths could be ascribed to infectious diseases and increasing habitat stress as a result of the ongoing drought and climate change were also dismissed.

“We analysed elephant carcasses and environmental samples and failed to find evidence of cyanobacterial or other intoxication. Post-mortem and histological findings suggest a bacterial septicaemia similar to haemorrhagic septicaemia caused by Pasteurella multocida,” the researchers said.

The largest elephant population in Africa, estimated to be 227 900 in 2022, occurred in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier region.

“The source of infection and route of transmission remains unknown in this outbreak. Bisgaard taxon 45 has been isolated from clinically healthy psittacine and may represent a previously unknown part of elephants’ normal flora in this region,” the scientists said.

Researchers suspected that some of the cases from the region in the past might have been erroneously passed off as anthrax.

The Namibian Directorate of Veterinary Services recently issued a directive to that country’s pork importers, informing them about the change in import conditions for fresh frozen pork with regards to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (RPPS).

Henceforth Namibia would give preference to the importation of fresh frozen pork from countries where RPPS did not occur. However, fresh frozen pork products would also be allowed in accordance to Article 15.3.3 of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

In case of countries where the disease did occur and no disease-free zones existed, imports would only be permitted under special requirements.

READ Understanding African Swine Fever: A lethal threat to pigs

The special requirements called for the pigs to be kept in isolation for a period of 27 days on the export-approved farm where the animals were reared. The pigs also needed to be subjected to an Elisa block test using blood samples taken between days 10 and 15 of the quarantine period.

The animals earmarked for exports to Namibia had to be slaughtered in blocks to prevent cross-contamination from animals from other sources.

According to the official announcement, fresh frozen products not adhering to the protocols as set out by the directorate would be confiscated and sent back to the country of origin or destroyed at the importers’ cost. The importation of cooked and processed pork was not affected by the RPPS protocol.

According to the South African Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRD), it conducted regular surveys to prevent the outbreak of animal diseases such as PRRS.

READ Top pig farmer takes full advantage of technology

“South Africa is one of the few countries that are free from PRRS and surveys are conducted on a regular basis to scientifically prove our free status. Past outbreaks of PRRS have been successfully eradicated by continuous collaborative action between government departments and the industry,” DARLD said on its website.

PRRS, also named blue ear disease, is a widespread disease affecting domestic pigs, according to the WOAH.

The symptoms include reproductive failure, pneumonia and increased susceptibility to secondary bacterial infection. It is caused by a virus classified as a member of the Arterivirus genus. PRRS was first recognised in the US in 1987, and the causative virus was identified in the Netherlands in 1991

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Zimbabwe’s first citrus exports to China commenced after Zimbabwean citrus orchards and packing houses were given the green light for the exports in June this year.

According to Zimbabwe’s Plant Quarantine Services Institute (PQSI), the exports began with 12 containers having already reached the Chinese market and 34 more containers still in transit at the time of going to print.

The list includes 11 orchards and six packing facilities, as approved by Chine in June. The initial batches were composed entirely of oranges.

According to a report by the publication Produce Report, the first consignment was handled through the port of Durban in South Africa, with future plans, however, to shift to the port of Beira in Mozambique, which offers a shorter route and faster transit time.

At present, Beira lacks cold storage facilities that meet the requirements of the

“The pilot phase of the citrus exports to China began in August with containers of oranges from the Beit-bridge area being shipped via the Port of Durban. To date we have issued phytosanitary certificates to export 46 containers of oranges to China with each container averaging 24 ton,” said PQSI head, Nhamo Mudada.

According to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency, the country’s export volume rose by 46% since 2017, hitting 70 000-metric tons last year.

According to Paul Bristow, Zimbabwe director of the Citrus Growers Association of Southern Africa, Zimbabwe mainly exported citrus to Europe and the Middle East in the past.

“Although China is a promising new development one of our drawbacks is that we are situated far from ports. However, the new market in China could add much-needed impetus to the local citrus production industry. Our industry is small, but was increasing markedly with significant plantings in the northern parts of the country,” he told Farmer’s Weekly

Zimbabwean fresh citrus fruits permitted for export to China include sweet oranges (Citrus sinensis), mandarins (Citrus reticulata), grapefruit (Citrus paradisi), lemons (Citrus limon), limes (Citrus aurantifolia) and bitter oranges (Citrus aurantium). 

Zimbabwe Sugar Sales (ZSS) general manager Tracey Mutaviri recently painted a bleak picture of local sugar sales in a report to the members of the ZSS board.

She said that as a result of depressed local sales, stock had been building up and warned that high closing stocks would delay closure of the 2023/24 season and continue to pose liquidity challenges for farmers as cash would be tied in stocks for a longer period.

“If the current trend persists to March 2024, stocks will potentially close at 94 000t by March 31, 2024, which will be 64 000t more than the planned closing stock of 30 000t.

“A high closing stock will delay closure of the 2023/24 season and continue to pose liquidity challenges for […] farmers as cash will be tied in stocks for a longer period,” she said in an article published by Bulawayo24.

To safeguard local producers grappling with declining sales, sugar imports into Zimbabwe needed to cease. Concerns were that by March next year, the country could find itself burdened with nearly 100 000t of domestically produced sugar due to sluggish local demand.

The retail price of imported sugar, primarily originating from Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, equalled that of locally produced sugar.

Saul Chin’anga, spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Sugarcane Development Association, questioned the reason behind Zimbabwe’s continuing importation of sugar when the country produced enough sugar for domestic consumption and even exported to niche markets like the US, earning valuable foreign currency.

“There is therefore no need for imports from a supply side. Currently the country has large stocks of sugar in warehouses. When local sugar sales do not move, farmers are impacted in that they get paid for their sugar on the basis of cash received price,” he said.

Post forecasts by the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service in the meanwhile indicated that Zimbabwe’s sugar exports would decrease by 3% to 25 000t in 2023/24, down from 25 692t in 2022/23.

This was based on continued decline in exports to the region and restrictive trade policies in Kenya, which was often the largest market for raw sugar exports before 2021/22.

Forecasts also showed that sugar production in Zimbabwe could increase by 3% to 410 000t in 2023/24, up from 396 683t in 2022/23. This is based on an increase in the quantity of sugar delivered to mills, improved sugar cane quality and constant sugar mill efficiencies.

Namibia has taken the precautionary step of suspending poultry imports from neighbouring South Africa following the outbreak of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).

South Africa, due to its proximity, has long been Namibia’s preferred supplier of poultry products. However, a statement from the Directorate of Veterinary Services under the Namibian Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform has suspended the imports of live poultry, fresh frozen poultry, table eggs, day-old chicks and hatching chicks.

The H7N6 strain, first detected in Mpumalanga in June, has spread to Gauteng, North West, and Limpopo. Astral Foods, the largest poultry producer in South Africa, described this outbreak as the most severe the country has ever experienced, resulting in an estimated loss of R220 million.

The ripple effect of avian influenza has also been evident in other major players, including RCL Foods and Quantum Foods.

RCL Foods spent R115 million culling an estimated 420 000 birds. Quantum Foods also reported multiple farms within their operations have been affected by HPAI.

Dawie Maree, head of Agriculture and Information and Marketing at FNB, pointed out additional concerns.

“With less local production and increased reliance on imports, the poultry industry faced higher costs due to a weakened rand, leading to more expensive imports. This, in turn, triggered a knock-on effect throughout the industry.

Furthermore, the scarcity of local chicken and eggs, coupled with higher demand, was expected to result in food inflation, ultimately leading to potential price increases,” said Maree.

In light of these challenges, Maree advised poultry farmers to have very strict biosecurity measures in place. Businesses also needed to provide safety nets for themselves through emergency savings and diversification.

South Africa’s bird flu crisis was further worsened by the persistent failure of Eskom to supply power to businesses and the nation as a whole.

Zambia’s North-Western Province, near the border with Angola, is known as the country’s top honey-producing region because of its woodlands that sustain bees and beekeeping.

Other factors are the availability of water all year round and a shaded, relatively undisturbed environment, although the serenity is disturbed by increasing cases of deforestation. Forest fires that are used for clearing of woodlands for crop production and settlement, coupled with harvesting of wood fuel for urban consumption, also contribute significantly to deforestation. Research shows this situation has affected the country’s honey output in recent years.

Honey production in Zambia has nevertheless shown a 1,2% year-on-year growth since 1973. As of 2021, Zambia was the 88th largest honey producer in the world, with 853t tons produced in that year. The country remains determined to exploit the European market with its honey production.

Zambia had the potential to produce 20 000t of honey annually if production capacities coupled with infrastructure were harnessed, said Fisheries and Livestock Minister Makozo Chikote.

“On 20 August this year, the Zambia Residue Control Plan was approved, and the country has successfully secured the necessary certification to continue to be listed as a non-EU country authorised to export honey to the EU,” he said.

“The certification is essential because it ensures the safety of our honey in line with the stringent EU food production requirements and provides market competitiveness for Zambia’s honey and other beehive products like beeswax, and this good for our farmers.”

According to Chikote, Zambia has in recent years been exporting honey to various countries in the Americas, Asia, Central and Southern Africa, and in 2022 alone earned US$14,3 million (about R270 million).

The first written records of Zambian beehives date back to 1854, when David Livingstone described log and bark hives, suspended from branches, used by the Lunda people. Today, traditional beekeeping in Zambia using the bark hive technology prevails amongst the Luvale tribes of the Kabompo and Mwinilunga districts in North-Western Province.

On average a beekeeper in these areas, most of which are men, has 73 bark hives, but not all are occupied at the same time.

In recent years, farmers across the country have become interested in beekeeping and are adopting different technologies suitable for their socio-economic and environmental conditions.