In 2021, Zambia's annual estimated postharvest losses were 359,519 tonnes for maize, 7,987 tonnes for wheat, 4,823 tonnes for millet, 4,242 tonnes for rice. The highest and lowest estimated postharvest loss percentages are 16.9% for maize and 4.0% for barley.
Within the value chain the majority of loss is estimated to be happening at harvesting/field drying for maize, at household-level storage for wheat, at harvesting/field drying for millet, at harvesting/field drying for rice. Within Zambia, the highest postharvest losses in tonnes occur for maize in Eastern, for wheat in Central, for millet in Northern, for rice in Northern. Regarding the nutritional losses, the estimated maize grain lost postharvest could have met the annual energy (kcal) dietary requirements of 1,507,212 people.
To view the list of studies used to estimate these losses, please see the References tab.
Top 4 crops with the highest production quantity in tonnes.
| Maize | Wheat | Millet | Rice | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production quantity in tonnes | 2,122,644 tonnes | 168,090 tonnes | 41,806 tonnes | 33,222 tonnes |
| Loss % | 16.9% | 4.8% | 11.5% | 12.8% |
| Losses in tonnes | 359,519 tonnes | 7,987 tonnes | 4,823 tonnes | 4,242 tonnes |
| Financial value | – | – | – | – |
| % of national agricultural GDP | – | – | – | – |
| # of people whose annual energy (kcal) requirements could have been met by the lost crop | 1,507,212 people | 31,942 people | – | 17,785 people |
See full postharvest losses data tables with loss percentage › | losses in tonnes › | nutritional losses ›
See full value chain data table with estimated losses in percentage › | tonnes › | USD ›